Ikea coming to Jacksonville

[Debbie Thompson]

I would be fine with an Ikea.  I would be fine without an Ikea.  Jacksonville is not "less than" because they don't have an Ikea, a Trader Joes or [insert any other store we don't have.]  They are furniture stores and grocery stores.  We have furniture stores and grocery stores, we just don't have those furniture stores and grocery stores. There's one within a decent drive if you need furniture and only Ikea will do. 

[Adam W]

I love this thread, seriously. People have been pining for an ikea for a decade, why I never knew, I really did hate their furniture from the beginning, it's ugly and cheap, I certainly wouldn't have been a customer, but nevertheless everybody was begging them to come here. Then they finally admit the obvious, that despite annexing all our suburbs in a 50 mile radius this place is still a backwater, and now everybody's all "We don't want them anyway, cheap Swedish crap" LMAO! Priceless. Just. Priceless. If this place were a person, you wouldn't have any trouble getting it baker acted for delusional and self-destructive behavior. Maybe now that ikea decided we have to double our population before they'll consider us, we'll drop the "Delta's ready when you are" attitude and revisit the things causing this place to stagnate. Beginning with the mobility fee, public transit, and the human rights ordinance.

Pining? Very punny!

[wsansewjs]

I love this thread, seriously. People have been pining for an ikea for a decade, why I never knew, I really did hate their furniture from the beginning, it's ugly and cheap, I certainly wouldn't have been a customer, but nevertheless everybody was begging them to come here. Then they finally admit the obvious, that despite annexing all our suburbs in a 50 mile radius this place is still a backwater, and now everybody's all "We don't want them anyway, cheap Swedish crap" LMAO! Priceless. Just. Priceless. If this place were a person, you wouldn't have any trouble getting it baker acted for delusional and self-destructive behavior. Maybe now that ikea decided we have to double our population before they'll consider us, we'll drop the "Delta's ready when you are" attitude and revisit the things causing this place to stagnate. Beginning with the mobility fee, public transit, and the human rights ordinance.

Chris,

I am a big fan of contemporary furniture, and IKEA made it affordable. However, they may be "cheap" however it is truly shitty and cheap-ass material when someone ABUSES them.

IKEA made it affordable and possible for me to live with those furniture which makes my living a helluva much better. Their bookcases are actually one of the best bookcases I ever seen. Even Saunders / Wal-Mart has much much poor quality bookcases than IKEA's Billy Bookcase series.

Chris, to each of their own.

-Josh

[Dog Walker]

We used IKEA's online design feature to design the kitchen in our home.  Then drove all the way to Atlanta with a trailer to pick up the cabinets.  I assembled them and installed them myself.

They are really great.  We have all base cabinets that are all drawers.  The drawers have steel sides and close automatically.  In seven years there has not been a problem with anything and they look good.  Because they are European style "box" construction, not American style "face frame" construction there is no wasted space inside the cabinets; another plus.

[Dapperdan]

Its still a load of bunk saying we don't  have enough people to support a store. Their 2 million population mark is within 100 miles of city core. So if we add in Savannah, Brunswick, Gainesville, etc, we are above 2 million. You don't think people in Georgia wouldn't drive down if it is closer than Atlanta?

[simms3]

Stephen,

The fact that you could not find a sponsor in Jacksonville does not surprise me at all.  One thing I have very consistently harped on for years as a major missing element in Jacksonville is the fact that there aren't any traditional developers.  Everyone on this site utters lots of hate for developers, understandably, because in Jacksonville that almost only means Toney Sleiman and tract housing developers.

Outside of Hallmark, the late Will Parham (1661 Riverside), Delores Weaver (those lofts) and Balcksheep Restaurant Group (1234 Oak), who are the developers in town who are trying to transform downtown, transform retail, or transform other neighborhoods?  There are none.

I work for a developer (a private equity real estate investment fund syndicator) and we almost exclusively do urban projects in large cities (we have 2 opportunistic funds with projects in smaller cities).  Most developers I know are great, of course bottom line or fee minded people, but interested and prideful in their projects, trying to shape communities.

Good luck getting an Ikea, TJ's or any other brand.  They may be cheap, but having visited a friend's studio in San Francisco last night ($3,200/mo), he works for a big financial firm and is fine with Ikea furniture and cheap goods.  I am too.  Nothing wrong with it.  People in Jacksonville have NO right to be pretentious and stuck up when it's a shit cheap town with no true wealth.  If wealthy young professionals in big cities are fine with Ikea, don't try to tell me it's beneath you (but I guess if you're paying $900 for a luxury 2 BR and no state income tax you can afford nicer things...).

[Tacachale]

Good luck getting an Ikea, TJ's or any other brand.  They may be cheap, but having visited a friend's studio in San Francisco last night ($3,200/mo), he works for a big financial firm and is fine with Ikea furniture and cheap goods.  I am too.  Nothing wrong with it.  People in Jacksonville have NO right to be pretentious and stuck up when it's a shit cheap town with no true wealth.  If wealthy young professionals in big cities are fine with Ikea, don't try to tell me it's beneath you (but I guess if you're paying $900 for a luxury 2 BR and no state income tax you can afford nicer things...).

Oh, BS simms. The fact that someone lives in Jacksonville, or anywhere, has no particular bearing on their taste in furniture. Affordable Swedish bigboxery is affordable Swedish bigboxery in London or in Ty Ty, Georgia. The fact that some yuppies like it is not persuasive to anyone other than other yuppies.

I own some IKEA book cases, and they are fine, nothing more, nothing less. They were inexpensive and will last as long as I need them to. When I have more money and space I'll buy or make real ones.

[Adam W]

^Have you ever been to IKEA?

I'd assume so, based on the fact that you have IKEA bookcases. But a trip to an IKEA should swiftly disabuse you of the notion that yuppies are their key demographic!

If it were, they wouldn't be anywhere as successful as they are.

I think Jax is easily as "ready" for an IKEA as anywhere else. At least the people of Jax and the surrounding areas are. Whether or not the company feels there are enough people to justify opening a store is a different notion altogether.

An IKEA store would be a nice addition to the area. It's a shame the company doesn't feel the region meets their criteria at the moment. But I'd figure a store will open up in the Jax metro area in due course.

Edit: I think I missed your point re: yuppies, Tacachale. On re-reading your post, I see you are not saying IKEA only appeals to yuppies. My apologies.

[CityLife]

Its still a load of bunk saying we don't  have enough people to support a store. Their 2 million population mark is within 100 miles of city core. So if we add in Savannah, Brunswick, Gainesville, etc, we are above 2 million. You don't think people in Georgia wouldn't drive down if it is closer than Atlanta?

The 50-60 mile radius is likely based on a formula of projected trips. The further outside the bubble you go, the less frequently those trips will occur. Sure people from Savannah and Tallahassee may come once or twice a year when they truly need something, but people within 50 miles are far more likely to just be in the neighborhood and make 5 trips a year.

I'd also imagine they have a formula that tells them people outside a certain distance from the store are as likely to order online, rather than visit a store. If you're in Savannah its pretty dumb to drive all the way to Jax and pay 40 bucks in gas, when you can have something delivered for a comparable price.

[Tacachale]

^Have you ever been to IKEA?

I'd assume so, based on the fact that you have IKEA bookcases. But a trip to an IKEA should swiftly disabuse you of the notion that yuppies are their key demographic!

If it were, they wouldn't be anywhere as successful as they are.

I think Jax is easily as "ready" for an IKEA as anywhere else. At least the people of Jax and the surrounding areas are. Whether or not the company feels there are enough people to justify opening a store is a different notion altogether.

An IKEA store would be a nice addition to the area. It's a shame the company doesn't feel the region meets their criteria at the moment. But I'd figure a store will open up in the Jax metro area in due course.

Yes, I've been to IKEA and am fairly familiar with it. The yuppie comment was directed specifically at simms, who has fallen on his typical assumption that something that works for some white yuppies he knows should work for everyone everywhere.

I agree that IKEA would be a nice addition to Jax, as they're the epitome of destination shopping. But it doesn't look like it's going to happen until we either grow substantially, or IKEA changes their site selection parameters.

[fsquid]

People in Jacksonville have NO right to be pretentious and stuck up when it's a shit cheap town with no true wealth.

How do you really feel?   The few things I bought when they came into the Charlotte market were quite shit, but maybe I'm the outlier.

[chipwich]

Since IKEA is destination retail, it is in their best interest to not put a store in Jacksonville for the time being.  They enjoy their status as a shopping destination.  It's how they are able to keep their following.  Otherwise, you would just go to your local Sauder store to pick up assembly ready furniture, or you would go to Target or Bed, Bath for housewares.  But, no...  no one gets a special jolly out of visiting thie local Target.  It's much cooler when you have toured IKEA's perfectly designed showroom and then you buy the items downstairs with cool Swedish names no one can understand.  Why would anyone buy forks from Wal-Mart when they could get "Fuidscurd" forks at IKEA for the same price?

IKEA is more than just a retail store, it's a destination.  It is a spectacle of household goods that takes hours to traverse.  IKEA knows people will drive hours to go to their store and they have a very limited shipping policy for a reason.  They don't want to make it very easy to shop there.  Why do you think, they try and force everyone to their second floor showroom before you can actually pick up some items? 

IKEA could just as easily become like Amazon or Target and sell their wares (and furniture) on the internet with delivery to all locals in the US.  Last I checked (and I may be wrong) they only offer to deliver to locations within the vicinity of any particular store.

It's the same reason Bass Pro Shops have only have stores 4-6 hours away from each other or why even major cities tend to only have one or two Cheesecake Factories.  They could support more.  Jacksonville could probably support an IKEA, but IKEA knows its better for their brand image to make it somewhat out of reach or out-of the-ordinary.  It's a big city destination designed to be gawked over.  If it didn't carry that perceived cool, big city image, people probably wouldn't shop there as much.

I like IKEA.  It's a neat store and every now and again, I go into the Orlando store when I am down there.  I can't say I am really impressed with their furniture, some of the designs are cool, but picking up household goods from time to time isn't bad.  If they put one in Jacksonville, it would be cool, but its really not the end of the world.

[BrooklynSouth]

Last time I was in IKEA Orlando, the people in front of us and the people behind us at the checkout were from Jacksonville.

[fieldafm]

IKEA is more than just a retail store, it's a destination.  It is a spectacle of household goods that takes hours to traverse.  IKEA knows people will drive hours to go to their store and they have a very limited shipping policy for a reason.  They don't want to make it very easy to shop there.  Why do you think, they try and force everyone to their second floor showroom before you can actually pick up some items? 

IKEA could just as easily become like Amazon or Target and sell their wares (and furniture) on the internet with delivery to all locals in the US.  Last I checked (and I may be wrong) they only offer to deliver to locations within the vicinity of any particular store.

It's the same reason Bass Pro Shops have only have stores 4-6 hours away from each other or why even major cities tend to only have one or two Cheesecake Factories.  They could support more.  Jacksonville could probably support an IKEA, but IKEA knows its better for their brand image to make it somewhat out of reach or out-of the-ordinary.  It's a big city destination designed to be gawked over.  If it didn't carry that perceived cool, big city image, people probably wouldn't shop there as much.

Just to make a quick comment about 'destination retail'.  One major difference b/w Ikea and Bass Pro is that Bass Pro typically wants large incentives to locate somewhere. 

I like Bass Pro.  I'd choose them over Gander, Dicks, Cabelas or Academy (albeit Academy's pricing is nice, they just don't have the product mix of a Bass Pro).   However, when you take into account the massive incentives cities are giving Bass Pro they hardly represent a net gain.  I'd welcome a Bass Pro in Jax, just as long as they don't come with their hand out waiting for some municipal cash, free land and massive tax rebates.   

As far as the Ikea delivery comment, I don't believe that is to be the case.  Before the Sunrise store opened (which opened before Orlando) and the closest store was Atlanta... I ordered some items(basically one of their kitchens) online for an old house and had them shipped here.

It's really silly to debate this. Ikea isn't coming here.

A CB2 would be nice too, but that isn't happening either.   

[finehoe]

A CB2 would be nice too, but that isn't happening either.   

Remember that a Bo Concept opened at SJTC and then closed.  Maybe there just isn't much of a market for contemporary furniture here.