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I visit this forum from time to time because I have good friends that live in Raleigh...
The IKEA in Pittsburgh opened in 1989 actually. It was one of the first in the nation. I believe the Philadelphia location opened in 1985? Regardless, I'm always amazed at how far our IKEA delivers. They deliver clear to Rochester, NY and past Morgantown, WV to the south. On a weekend, the place is mobbed and there are so many out of state plates, it's insane. I'm sure the Charlotte location is similar.
I know my friends in Raleigh have always wanted a location more convenient than Charlotte. Anytime they're up here, we usually make a stop for them to peruse the store.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pegotty
When we went to the Charlotte store that one time we were probably there for a full hour but hardly saw anything. The place was so big it would probably take several hours to actually see everything I want to see. I had a cart full of stuff that I ended up leaving at the check out because I was so frustrated at that point and the younger kids were irritable. It took way too long to get to the registers. Of course, we had just driven from Texas. We were all cranky. :-)
Oh yes, I totally agree, you cannot run in and run out of that place. You need to allot some time and some patience, for sure. Over Thanksgiving, I went to the one near my parents' house in Phila. by myself for one specific item and it still took me over an hour to find what I wanted and get out of there.
Looked at the locations, I'm kind of surprised there is only one in the Atlanta metro area but when it comes to the Triangle, there is already one in Charlotte so I doubt they will build another one in NC.
I simply don't see what the big deal about Ikea is in the first place. If one does want to shop there, they drive a bit, or they get it delivered.
It's a "destination store", like, uhm, Wegmans (when is Wegmans coming to Raleigh, by the way? just kidding you guys ). When we lived in MD we sometimes went there like to a museum. E.g. I really like to look at the modern style furniture, but would not buy it for our house because most of it is just not as comfortable (and my husband doesn't share my affection for the style ). So we'd just go in, walk for a while (exercise!), look around, then get a vase and/or some candy, have some food and go home. It was nice. But we're definitely not driving 6 hours for that, so if IKEA wants to sell us another vase they better move closer.
What is the source for this? I'm not sure it's correct. I know the Potomac Mills (VA) location opened in the early 90's, and I don't think it was the only location in the US. I'm pretty sure Ikea started in the US in Pennsylvania, and I think there were at least some California locations at the time as well.
The first IKEA in North America opened in Philadelphia in 1985. Washington DC followed in 1986, Baltimore in 1987, and Pittsburgh in 1989. Then they exploded across the United States during the 1990's.
As for Raleigh, the reason it doesn't have an IKEA is the same reason Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Jacksonville, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville and San Antonio don't either: proximity to other IKEAs. Only the extra-large metropolitan areas get one or more IKEAs despite the possibility of other nearby large cities having one. Otherwise, they're more selective in metropolitan areas with less than 3,000,000 population, and they prefer to keep a distance between them. In Buffalo, they can go to Pittsburgh or Toronto. In Cleveland, they can go to Pittsburgh or Detroit. In Columbus, they can go to Pittsburgh or Cincinnati. In Jacksonville, they can go to Orlando or Tampa. In Louisville, they can go to Cincinnati or Chicago. In Milwaukee, they can go to Chicago. In Nashville, they can go to Atlanta or Cincinnati. In San Antonio, they can go to Austin or Houston.
In Raleigh, they can go to Charlotte or Washington DC.
On a related note, I bet Kansas City gets an IKEA before St. Louis does. The nearest IKEAs to Kansas City are Chicago, Dallas and Denver, which are all long hauls. As for St. Louis, IKEA would more than likely steer shoppers to Chicago or Kansas City.
On a related note, I bet Kansas City gets an IKEA before St. Louis does. The nearest IKEAs to Kansas City are Chicago, Dallas and Denver, which are all long hauls. As for St. Louis, IKEA would more than likely steer shoppers to Chicago or Kansas City.
IKEA is definitely happening in both Kansas City and St Louis. It is under construction in Kansas City. In St Louis, they have purchased land and hired the general contractor.
An Ikea in the Triangle won't happen until the one in Charlotte gets overwhelmed. On the three occasions that I have been there on weekends, it wasn't all that busy. To put his in perspective, South Florida is getting a second Ikea because the first one that was built is so completely overwhelmed with business that they have to have a large staff of parking assistants every single Saturday and Sunday just to get people in and out of there.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by North_Raleigh_Guy
I remember when somebody made that same prediction when I first joined city-data.
Back in 2006.
The first thread about IKEA was in 2007. Someone predicted one would open near the Triangle in 3 years. And here we are almost 7 years later still debating it.
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). When we lived in MD we sometimes went there like to a museum. E.g. I really like to look at the modern style furniture, but would not buy it for our house because most of it is just not as comfortable (and my husband doesn't share my affection for the style 
Someone predicted one would open near the Triangle in 3 years. And here we are almost 7 years later still debating it. 
