The last time SLM stopped by Missouri’s first IKEA store (Kansas City’s doesn’t count since it’s technically in Kansas), we were touring the store’s rooftop solar panel display, the largest in the Show-Me State.
One month later, much has changed inside the much-anticipated store. Rooms and shelves that were empty a few weeks ago are now brimming with merchandise with hard-to-pronounce names and local workers building, assembling, installing and preparing the store for its September 30 grand opening.
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SLM toured St. Louis’ soon-to-open IKEA with store manager John Achillea. Here’s what we learned:
1. All the furniture and display racks are assembled by store employees.
Even IKEA’s employees have difficulty putting together furniture from the Swedish retailer sometimes. After assembling furniture and display racks and more for the store, visual merchandiser Kate Gebken has a word of advice: Keep the directions handy.
“It was easier than I thought” to put together sofas and tables, says Gebken, who started working in IKEA in July. But don’t get too cocky, she says. “You get ahead of yourself. You have to look at the directions.”
2. Don’t want to assemble anything yourself? Check the clearance section.
Near the check-out, there’s a “scratch ‘n’ dent” section with returned or slightly damaged items on clearance. As if the discount isn’t enough, items in the clearance section are already built. No directions necessary!
3. The 450-seat restaurant overlooks Midtown St. Louis.
We couldn’t get a close look at IKEA’s restaurant because construction crews were laying the flooring, but hearing about the Scandinavian-inspired dishes it’ll serve—including three kinds of meatballs: traditional Swedish, chicken and veggie—had our mouths watering. You won’t have to go far to get to the restaurant. It’s on the second floor, next to the start of the “path” we describe next.
4. Follow the IKEA path.
Fair warning: It’s easy to get lost in IKEA. That’s why the store designates an “official path” winding through the store’s showroom. Starting at the top of the lobby escalator, IKEA’s version of the yellow brick road guides shoppers through model rooms and furniture displays, starting with the living room, then the office and storage through to the kitchen and dining rooms. There are three shortcuts on each level, such as the one between dining/storage and the kitchen displays, so you can skip to the furniture you need.
The path isn’t marked yet, but it will be by the time shoppers arrive.
5. We’re getting the Lordagsgodis!
That’s Swedish for “Saturday sweets.” On Saturdays, Swedish children buy bags of their favorite candies as a special treat. IKEA is bringing that tradition to the U.S. with a line of Scandinavian candies, including gummies, licorice and chocolate-covered marshmallow treats. Achillea says St. Louis will have its own candy display near the store’s 26 check-out lanes, where customers can “pick and mix” their favorites and pay by the pound. Next to the candies, you can also buy pre-packaged meatballs, salmon and Swedish cheeses, as well as more traditional snacks, including pizza, hot dogs, frozen yogurt and cinnamon buns.
6. Take the “travelator.”
Ikea’s two-story store is built on top of its parking lot. Once you’re ready to head back to the cars, customers can take the elevator down to ground level or take the “travelator” instead. More commonly found in Europe, a travelator is a moving walkway, and IKEA’s magnetically grips onto cart wheels so they don’t slide down and crash at the bottom.
7. Right now, the inside of IKEA is mostly just piles of furniture.
By the time customers get inside on September 30, each room will be completely assembled and designed. Each set piece in the showroom is designed with a customer and budget in mind, such as a family with toddlers on a medium budget, or a college student headed to the dorms with a small budget. But those descriptions are removed before the store opens, so shoppers never see them. “We want customers to infer whatever inspiration they want,” says IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth.
8. The warehouse is being filled with furniture to prepare for the grand opening.
Since it’s impossible to wind your way through IKEA with sofa in your cart, the store holds larger merchandise in a warehouse customers access after paying at the check-out lanes. Customers will find their items in the bottom two rows of the store’s massive warehouse. Upper levels hold buffer stock and are filling up as the store prepares for its grand opening.
9. Not everything has to be assembled.
IKEA prides itself with popularizing the duvet in the U.S., and the store’s marketplace is full of duvets and covers. The duvets and pillows are vacuum-sealed to reduce space and shipping costs.
10. Build your own kitchen and stock it, too.
IKEA tries to provide everything home shoppers could want, including the kitchen sink—literally. Can’t find what you want? Design it yourself! Among IKEA’s bathroom and kitchen showrooms, customers can also find materials for designing the rooms of their dreams. Once it’s designed, stock your kitchen with plates, cups, cookware and more from IKEA’s marketplace.
What else would you like to know about IKEA? SLM will have another chance to tour the store before its opening, so leave questions in the comments.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at [email protected] or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
