IKEA has officially announced their plans to build a Portland store.
“The store will be built on nearly 19 acres at the southwestern corner of I-205 and Airport Way…75 bicycle racks and two light-rail stations will provide convenient access”
While I’m no fan of massive consumerism, I think IKEA will be a good neighbor. And, given their Swedish background, I bet they’ll be a great possible partner for bikey non-profits and programs. I also know that IKEA does cool stuff for kids like give them a free helmet on their birthday.
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10 of those acres will likely be cars and concrete. The Seattle Ikea is nothing but a sea of cars. It depressed me, I felt like I was at a Wal Mart Supercenter.
I think the store and parking garage will at least be 2 story. That is at least a step in the right direction compared to a WalMart or Home Depot.
well i’m as bike as the next guy/gal but i don’t know if i’ll be riding out to pick up the load of 100 pounds of ikea furniture, trailer or not. sounds like flexcar time to me.
Forget the furniture, I’m talking about a nice, cheap plate of swedish meatballs and potatoes…and bringing home a jar of their Swedish lingonberry jam!
Actually, I’ve been thinking about this since I first heard about IKEA moving to that spot. In order to take advantage of the light rail stops and strong bike ridership in Portland, IKEA should partner with or provide for several competing trucking companies, Flexcar, and/or full service moving/assembling companies to allow people to get there on foot or bike and not need to carry a bedframe or dining table (unassembled of course) home with them. This would be a great business venture if anyone’s interested, assuming this hasn’t already been handled by IKEA. In the couple IKEAs I’ve been to, they have no moving services, but can provide the number to one or two companies that can do that for you (for a fee, of course). Sounds like a great opportunity to me.