Ikea coming to Jacksonville

[Adam W]

Perhaps. But Bo Concept was waaaay overpriced for stuff that was IKEA-quality, basically.

[Traveller]

I think all furniture stores have struggled during the current recession.  New furniture is often a luxury rather than a necessity, and probably one of the first things people cut back on when money and credit are tight.  They may delay a purchase altogether or choose a cheaper substitute like Ashley or Rooms-To-Go.

[Adam W]

^or IKEA, for that matter!

[KenFSU]

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.

A really valid point.

Macy's is a good example.

I think their level of cache and brand perception took a pretty big hit when they slapped their name on all the small-market Burdines stores that they had taken over.

[fsquid]

Macy's slapped their name on a ton of small-market stores back in the 90s.

[avonjax]

If I am going to buy really cheap furniture I want it to be IKEA. Ashley and RTG are not that cheap but pretty crappy stuff.
I don't know what the population is from here to Brunswick or even Savannah, but all of SE Georgia would shop at an IKEA in Jacksonville. I love IKEA and I go to Orlando some times just to go there. It is a destination store.
I don't love everything at IKEA, but the kitchen and bathroom options are tremendous for those of us on a tight budget. And there are some really good options for storage that price and style wise put cheap furniture stores to shame.
IKEA is not for the Ortega crowd, it is for everyone else.
(I'm not picking on Ortega. I hope everyone understands what I mean.)
As far as Bo Concepts their prices were on Scan Design levels and I think the Scan Design furniture is much better quality.
And Scan seems to be doing pretty good. If you like contemporary they have great furniture. And I'm very glad we have that option here. We have plenty of traditional options already. I like Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn, but I have always checked out Max & Co first. They have a similar look but it's local. Always my first option.
I think there is more to IKEA not being here than just population.

[fieldafm]

I have to agree with Adam on Bo Concepts.

While a place like Bo Concpets left (and Nest Living is now doing online only, I liked them) places like Scan Design, Matisse and West Elm remain. 

I actually just ordered a nice contemporary bookcase through a local store in Fleming Island and it is of similar quality to anything you could buy at BC, yet for about half the price.

It's all relative.

[avonjax]

Actually Macy's, except the very large stores, has always been just another generic department store. They do deserve credit for the "stars" they have brought in to put their names on products. (Martha Stewart etc.) The Daytona store is very mediocre and I liked Burdines way better. They do have a fairly nice home area, but other than that I like Dillard's just as much. Now f you really want cache you need a Nordstrom, Sak's and Neiman's. All 3 or at least one. That would put us on the retail map and  we would join EVERY other city in Florida that has at least one of those stores. In my opinion we are a 2nd tier retail city and I only rank us that high because we have a Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton.
Sak's has stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Orlando, Destin, Tampa, Miami, Boca, Palm Beach, Sarasota, Naples and Ft Myers.
Nordstrom has stores in Miami, Palm Beach Gardens, Naples Tampa, and Naples.
Neiman-Marcus has stores in Miami, Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando and Ft Lauderdale.
I may have left some out so forgive me..
I know the argument is we don't have the demographic with the kind of money these other locations do. But nobody said build a giant store. The Orlando locations are are not that large and I truly believe the Jacksonville area could support at least one of these stores. Some people would drive from Amelia Island and I think as far as Sea Island to shop there.
As I have said many times it's hard to buy the kind of merchandise these stores carry since Jacobson's closed.
And the Jacksonville Jacobson's store was one of their most profitable according to a friend of mine who was an executive there.
If anyone knows about a local men's store that that has this kind of merchandise please let me know. I think Rosenblums may be the only one.

[avonjax]

I have never seen anything in Matisse that I would buy. Nest Living was, is a great. Sorry he doesn't have a store any longer. I loved the place.

[simms3]

Nobody was saying Ikea was meant for white yuppies, who quite frankly when possible would rather shop at a Bobby Berk, Room & Board, Poggen Pohl or Crate & Barrel at a minimum.  My point was the 25-30 year old white yuppie in most big cities in America or abroad is still living with lowly and humble Ikea furniture because they are still living in apartments.  People's comments seemed to trash Ikea as cheap and shitty, which it is, but it just bothers me hearing stuck up attitudes in Jacksonville.  I get sick of it in Atlanta too.  When I am in someone's apartment in SF and they are making a very solid 6 figures and all they can justify on the furniture front is Ikea (and their monthly rent is higher than nearly every mortgage in NE FL except for those on PVB Blvd), then I just don't want to hear comments about how Jacksonville would be fine without crappy Ikea.

If white yuppies are only able to still afford Ikea in many places, then you know the masses are shopping there, too.  Maybe Jacksonville doesn't check all the boxes, but why not ask the difficult question of why there is NO Retail of any sort in Jacksonville?  Somebody or some people are dropping the ball right and left.  In some cases is it because the city leaders are not attracting the right types of jobs that bring certain incomes and certain people who buy certain things?  On the other end, the discount end, what is the story?

Why are there no respectable developers on a large scale in Jacksonville.  A question I have asked repeatedly for years on this forum?  Aside from exclusive clubs and gated communities and a few small loft projects here and there, everything good to happen in Jacksonville (and I include SJTC in that arena) is made possible by outside teams.  There is no private downtown champion with the experience and resources to make a big turnaround.  Every new retailer to the area from Whole Foods to H&M to LA Fitness to Louis Vuitton is thanks largely to an outside team with the exceptions of local landlord reps who might be on assignment in Jacksonville from elsewhere, as well.

[fieldafm]

If white yuppies are only able to still afford Ikea in many places, then you know the masses are shopping there, too.  Maybe Jacksonville doesn't check all the boxes, but why not ask the difficult question of why there is NO Retail of any sort in Jacksonville?  Somebody or some people are dropping the ball right and left.  In some cases is it because the city leaders are not attracting the right types of jobs that bring certain incomes and certain people who buy certain things?  On the other end, the discount end, what is the story?

Aside from exclusive clubs and gated communities and a few small loft projects here and there, everything good to happen in Jacksonville (and I include SJTC in that arena) is made possible by outside teams.  There is no private downtown champion with the experience and resources to make a big turnaround.  Every new retailer to the area from Whole Foods to H&M to LA Fitness to Louis Vuitton is thanks largely to an outside team with the exceptions of local landlord reps who might be on assignment in Jacksonville from elsewhere, as well.

Just to add some facts instead of opinion:

While I cannot stand how pathetically bad of a design SJTC is, it has one of the highest sales per square feet of any lifestyle center in the Southeast.

Carter has a home in Jacksonville.  Although he spends most of his time in Atlanta he's not exactly an 'outsider'.  I see him frequently at social events.

And Whole Foods brought in by someone else?  That shopping center was a local landlord when they brokered the Whole Foods deal until they later sold it.  Futhermore your favorite punching bag, Toney Sleiman, brought in LA Fitness.

You have some underlying valid points from time to time, but mostly they're masked by all the other rant stuff.

[fsquid]

I love the rants.  Keep it up Simms.

[CityLife]

I too enjoy the rants. When I read posts from Simms, I envision him typing them while sitting in a posh penthouse at The Dakota, whilst getting his shoes shined by a British butler, and eating food from Per Se.

I also enjoy Field dropping knowledge.

[kellypope]

Good, their merchandise is worthless anyway.

[simms3]

Good, their merchandise is worthless anyway.

Case in point.  I love ranting on this site.