Homage to Ikea

Most folks in Portland are opposed to “big box” businesses. We like our mom and pop places; love to sip coffee for hours in our favorite coffee house, and purchase our bling at a local shop. Yeah, right. Portland has just gotten a big dose of the big box when Ikea came to town. The Swedish home furnishing store has placed its behemothic footprint just seconds from our PDX airport, a perfect place to shop and fly.

Before they opened in August, their towering Ikea sign had lit the Portland night as we drove by on the nearby I-205 freeway. I wondered how the citizens of this town, who are passionate about sustainability and community, would greet our foreign invader.

I have been a huge fan of Ikea, in fact, my home’s interior could be called the house that Ikea built. I would make the three hour one way drive to Seattle periodically to fill up my van with stuff. In fact, my van was purchased with Ikea in mind! So now I am just a few minutes from the store. Should I go or not on opening day? I certainly don’t need anything, but what the hey, it’s opening day in Portland, land of no sales tax, and I had to make an homage. But would anyone else?

Our local press, the Oregonian, sure seemed to love the store. They ran a number of stories about Ikea, including one on in the food section. They warned Portlanders that the freeways would be congested, and to park and take the public transportation. Or better yet, wait about six weeks until the surge died down. EEK, it was certainly nail biting time.

Opening day was quite on the I-205 as I passed by. Then around 5:00 p.m., I took the plunge and parked in a park and ride lot a few miles away and took the MAX line in.

What is wonderful about the entire store is that it is smack on the MAX line. So that when one purchases a bookcase, they can haul it home on MAX. Riding the MAX to Ikea is almost like being in an amusement park because the ride takes us up over the freeway at speeds often surpassing the traffic below. I wondered as the MAX came to a stop, would anyone else be there?

No worries, Portlanders love Ikea. It was busy but not jammed packed. Except for the cafeteria where their famous Swedish meatballs are served. I didn’t purchase any home furnishing that day, but I did stand in line for an hour and a half with other dopes to eat those meatballs.

So my homage to Ikea is that it has smitten the hearts of many in Portland, and for that matter, other places and states, like Idaho and Montana. Now they can take the multi-hour drive. I don’t have to. But I still love my van. It carries more than Ikea boxes.