Interesting site catering to bring IKEA to Ohio.  Personally their poll leaves Cincinnati at a disadvantage since they broke it down into several categories.

 

http://www.verybigdesign.com/ikea/

 

 

I think Union center blvd would be a great place for one.

columbus makes the most sense for Ikea. Clevelanders are long used to driving to pittsburg. Cincinatti, will have to drive two hours. OSU's one million students will be looking for cheap, trendy (albeit sometimes flimsy) during school. and those toledoians can drive to detroit (canton)

Haha, cool! I love the rolling comments under the OHIKEA logo!

 

Here's hoping Ohio (please be Central ;-)) gets an IKEA store one of these day...

Ikea now owns the Home Expo at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst.  Just got a Dodge report on that.  I don't know what the plans are at this point though.  All I know is the Home Expo shut down and Ikea bought it.

columbus makes the most sense for Ikea. Clevelanders are long used to driving to pittsburg. Cincinatti, will have to drive two hours. OSU's one million students will be looking for cheap, trendy (albeit sometimes flimsy) during school. and those toledoians can drive to detroit (canton)

Do you have any idea what student population is in metro Cincinnati. More so than metro Columbus.

"Ikea now owns the Home Expo at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst.  Just got a Dodge report on that."

 

:-o :-o :-o Do you happen to know the square footage of the Expo space? I think the standard IKEA store is around 200K - I know Expo was pretty big. That would be awesome to see IKEA there - and it does fit their usual site requirements (ample parking, highway access, etc)

I don't know.  I get a new envelope of dodges every monday, wed and Fri though and I can check.  It has been in there now every week.  They do have to do some renovation to the Home expo though.  Thats why it's been in the dodges.

I don't even know what this store is though.  I saw this post and read it and thought, wow, these must be cool stores. 

IKEA is a Swedish-owned company that produces affordable yet relatively well-designed furniture.

 

As some have said - some of their pieces are a little flimsy but for what you pay the quality is usually decent. It's not a place where you'd want to go to completely furnish your house or buy a family heirloom, but for basics, it really has carved out a niche. You can spend a hundred dollars and pick up some great pieces to fill in the 'blanks' in your home. It's also great for someone fresh out of school who is just starting out. Thus, the low prices and modern design also appeal to the younger demographic. It's not uncommon for northeast Ohio residents to make the 2.5 hour trip to Pittsburgh and "stock up" - if you go to the Pittsburgh store, every other car has Ohio plates.

 

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/

Do you have any idea what student population is in metro Cincinnati. More so than metro Columbus.

 

 

can you enlighten us? is it more than the ones listed here http://www.cincinnatiusa.org/education.asp ?

...

^ Yes so you're comparing 94k in the Cincy area to 76k in the Columbus area. i don't get it? what's your point?

 

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the 76,000 figure for the Columbus area? Just searching the main colleges in Franklin County alone, I got 92,000 students:

 

OSU: 58,000

CSCC: 23,000

Capital: 4,000

CCAD: 1,300

ODU: 2,800

Otterbein: 3,000

 

I couldn't include Franklin University or the Pontifical College Josephenum since they didn't have student population figures. And that just Franklin Country. Include Ohio Weslyan in Delaware Co. Kenyon College in Knox Co, etc. and you have a student population of well over 100,000. One must also remember that Columbus is the destination point for essentially all colleges and universities in Southeast Ohio, including OU, Muskegum, and others which would also be drawn to a store the likes of IKEA.

So wait, college kids buy stuff from this ikea store.  Then why did they buy a building in Lyndhurst at Legacy village.  Again, I have never heard of these stores, so I guess I just don't know the market they cater to.

i have seen different numbers from what Ohio state has.

http://www.cincinnatiusa.org/pdf/edu/enrollment.pdf

 

I agree with NSC it's much more than college students they cater too.

It's not just cheap European designed furniture for college kids. You can get an entire room designed by them. I like their kitchens. A relative in Atlanta is having the interior of his house remodeled by Ikea.

You put together all of the fiurniture yourself:  Check the website for more info:

 

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/

 

The quality varies, most of it is pretty cheap, but they are coming out with higher priced items that are better made.  They have an entire leather sectional couch now, for example.  For the most part it is for younger people that need to furnish an apartment cheap.  One bonus is that in this era of 'Super Size' houses and overstuffed furniture, this stuff is generally apartment sized and will fit through older urban doorways and stairwells that most traditional American furniture won't.

 

Also, they offer some nicely designed modern kitchen cabinets that are great as an alternative to the traditional wood paneled/brass hardware boring crap they have at home depot.  You can get a stylish Euro kitchen remodel even on a budget.

 

 

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the 76,000 figure for the Columbus area? Just searching the main colleges in Franklin County alone, I got 92,000 students:

 

OSU: 58,000

CSCC: 23,000

Capital: 4,000

CCAD: 1,300

ODU: 2,800

Otterbein: 3,000

 

I couldn't include Franklin University or the Pontifical College Josephenum since they didn't have student population figures. And that just Franklin Country. Include Ohio Weslyan in Delaware Co. Kenyon College in Knox Co, etc. and you have a student population of well over 100,000. One must also remember that Columbus is the destination point for essentially all colleges and universities in Southeast Ohio, including OU, Muskegum, and others which would also be drawn to a store the likes of IKEA.

 

Not to get into your little battle but I thought OSU had around 35,000 students and was resently passed by Texas for the largest enrollment in the US.

nsc -- here's my opinionated dissertation:

 

ikea is a big box furniture warehouse store. it typically builds in suburban areas, but i think the company is making inroads into the city. for example, one is coming to brooklyn soon. 

 

the style is clean functional modern swedish design. it's also notable because the stuff gets packed into a box and you put it together at home (or they will do it for you).

 

the marketing focus is on the college age and post college age population, ie., young apt dwellers and new families. the focus of the tv commericals and ads clearly play on this. yes the stuff is cheap and temporary, but most of it is fine for what it is -- they don't hide this.

 

ikea is a big big touchstone for those who support the "creative class" ideology and for stemming the "brain drain." like, starbucks or urban outfitters, ya gotta have one to help keep the brightest kids around or to attract others --- or so it is sometimes put forth.

 

if you want one i heard somewhere they are responsive to mail bombardment pressure so go all "get the rock hall" crazy on them with emails --- it might pay off.

 

bottom line is you can indeed live without it and get somewhat similiar furniture elsewhere. however, its cheaper, cooler and more convenient at ikea. so in the end yes its an excellent, useful and affordable store!

 

 

 

 

So wait, college kids buy stuff from this ikea store.  Then why did they buy a building in Lyndhurst at Legacy village.

 

Even though they cater to a younger crowd for the most part, they generally locate in suburban areas in the US. The stuff is heavy pressboard, and they need a lot of loading zone space for cars.  The city of Chicago tried to get them to build their 2nd location in the city on the South Side near an "L" stop for city residents and they were really cold on the idea.  A 2nd one is going to be in the South west burb's.  The Pittsburgh one is tiny compared to most of the newer stores.

 

Actually, I am surprised that it would go into a congested shopping Mall like Legacy Village.  They are mostly stand alone with giant parking lots.

Thanks for all the info.  I'm suprised my wife hasn't made me drive her to Pittsburgh yet.  I figured they were pretty cool stores.  When we were looking through the Dodges at a meeting the other day, a couple of the people saw "ikea" in there at Legacy village and got excited.  I didn't want to sound stupid and ask any questions though.

I know Jacobs wanted to put an IKEA in Chagrin Highlands a few years back, and the city of Cleveland tried to block it.

Not sure if Jacobs was going to pitch it to IKEA once he had approval, or was IKEA the ones inquiring.

ikea would be an ok fit at legacy. it would be a much better fit at steelyard commons no? ha.

 

i forgot to add that they have been trying out somewhat more "upscale" furniture product lines for years, but to no great or (at least blatantly obvious) success.

 

****if anyone wants to do the email campaign thing here is a start. heck, i'll email'em too:

 

http://info.ikea-usa.com/IKEAContactUs/Contact.aspx

 

 

 

You know the company has franchises. So if a group with a little money that gets together can bring a store to a location near you..;)

Not to get into your little battle but I thought OSU had around 35,000 students and was resently passed by Texas for the largest enrollment in the US.

 

the main campus has between 48000 and 50000. it's been a while since it was at 35.

 

 

___________________

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the 76,000 figure for the Columbus area? Just searching the main colleges in Franklin County alone, I got 92,000 students:

 

OSU: 58,000

CSCC: 23,000

Capital: 4,000

CCAD: 1,300

ODU: 2,800

Otterbein: 3,000

\

capital

central ohio technical college

circleville bible college

columbus college of art design

columbus state

denison

devry

franklin

ohio dominican

ohio state

ohio weslyan

otterbein

pontifical college josephinum

 

are all the colleges in the columbus metro. the total is somewhere around a hundred thousand if anyone can find the numbers

Wow...people are really hardcore about IKEA.

capital

central ohio technical college

circleville bible college

columbus college of art design

columbus state

denison

devry

franklin

ohio dominican

ohio state

ohio weslyan

otterbein

pontifical college josephinum

 

are all the colleges in the columbus metro. the total is somewhere around a hundred thousand if anyone can find the numbers

Hmm Don't you think there is other colleges in cincinnati too like university of phoenix ,Indiana Wesleyan University, Etc? From what i understand college students don't have much money to furnish a WHOLE apartment. they usually get apartments or dorms that are already furnished for them.

I don't think college kids have enough money to buy furniture outside the thrift store...seriously.  So I do not think a furniture business would consider a large population of college students the target market.  I could see people in starter neighborhoods such as Parma, Mayfield Hts, Euclid etc shopping here. 

Hmm Don't you think there is other colleges in cincinnati too like university of phoenix ,Indiana Wesleyan University, Etc?

i'm not familiar with those, but they probably don't have many people.

but it doesn't matter, both cincinnati and columbus have around the same college population, and i'm not trying to start a battle.

 

 

 

(but it does look like columbus has more, he he he :) )

 

 

 

 

I can understand what the company goal is. It's not going to expand fast and create alot of debt like what american companies have done in the past. This is not an american company so the profits will be going over seas.

yea Ohio State has just under 51,000 students....like 50,994 or something like that.  Minnesota is second and Texas is third.  Texas was the biggest last year but not anymore!

unusualfire, please don't ever say University of Phoenix and "college" in the same sentence again.  Don't they teach you how to work a McDonalds Fryer at that school?  If you are going to dig up some school to prove your point then why not include some other ones in the Cincinnati/Dayton Metroplex?  UD, Wright State? ;)

Agreed.  And if it's not somewhere where students can live and be a full-time student, it shouldn't be counted as "college".  Indiana Wesleyan should be renamed "Offramp U.".  Then they can build their dorms at The Village Past the Traffic Light Across the Highway Through the Parking Lot of West Chester, or whatever that thing's called.

 

But what do I know?  I got my PhD at Antonelli College....  :D

^cleveland's get a new and expanded phoenix and myers, so take that!

^cleveland's get a new and expanded phoenix and myers, so take that!

 

Did you attend school there? ;)

^yeah, right after i got my associates at ITT Tech

yea Ohio State has just under 51,000 students....like 50,994 or something like that.  Minnesota is second and Texas is third.  Texas was the biggest last year but not anymore!

 

i think you guys are talking about total students in those stats, no? the number that live on the main campus is much less than that as there are branches.

 

i dont know the exact number that live on campus, but i was just in austin this spring and walked around ut --- fwiw the main ut campus is just about identical to osu size-wise.

 

^the just under 51,000 number is for the students on the main campus, when you include the other campuses it brings it up to the 58,000 mentioned earlier.

Yea Texas is pretty big but if I am not mistaken, OSU is also the largest campus in the country in terms of area as well.  Also, I think summit street counted 58,000 in Franklin county for OSU.  There are no other branches in Franklin County to my knowledge.  They are located in places like Marion and Mansfield and Lima and Newark.  So 58,000 in Franklin county was wrong.  Also, I think its more like 60,000 when you include all branches, but I could be wrong.

Yea Texas is pretty big but if I am not mistaken, OSU is also the largest campus in the country in terms of area as well.

 

well last i heard (four years ago) I think michigan state "claimed" that distinction, doesn't mean its true though.

Good grief..."Der Grosse Mobelhaus aus Schweden":, as the German ads used to say back when they where penetrating the FRG market (and they had this talking cartoon moose, too, as their "mascot"....of course the Rocky & Bullwinkle connection didn't register w. the Euros).

 

They are located is some decidedly unhip locations in Germany, like Siegen (sort of like being in Huntington/Ashland or Wheeling), and Saarlouis (the German version of Flint or Lordstown...tho that market area includes Luxembourg and Metz)...cheap furniture for the working class to furnish their social-democratic welfare state high rise apartments/condos.

 

So its funny to see the hipster cachet Ikea has here in the US.  Still,  a fun website, that Ikeohio....

 

 

 

 

 

So its funny to see the hipster cachet Ikea has here in the US.

 

Actually, once they enter a market and the fever dies down, people have Ikea hangover, and it is not anything to brag about.  It's throw away cheap design for college kids for the most part...kind of an Old Navy of furniture.  As stated earlier, it's good for choice items that blend in with some of your more expensive stuff.  You really don't want someone spotting it as an Ikea piece the minute they walk in the door if you are over 30.  Check furniture for sale on Craigs List in any market where there is an Ikea...everything for sale is from there.

 

The euro clothing version of Ikea is H&M.  Dirt cheap, trendy, high style, throw away clothes.  Same thing, wear it once or twice and it's off to the thrift store.  When they opened here the lines to get in were down the block.

yeah agreed about ikea hangover.

 

hey h&m would be a great "compromise" fit for retail in the tc higbees! or a container store or bb&b. it's mostly all stuff you can use and carry out to the bus or train or walk home with easily.

 

 

 

How about a massive liquor store?

X,

 

Great idea.  How about a Big Lots or a Dollar Store? 

...Also, I think summit street counted 58,000 in Franklin county for OSU...

 

actually, cmh downtown listed that number... but i know what you mean.

 

...if I am not mistaken, OSU is also the largest campus in the country in terms of area as well... 

 

that wouldn't surprise me, especially if they count the cow pasture labs off lane ave.! hahahha

 

Granted, I am only a few years from college myself, but IKEA does have some pretty nice stuff, if you want to search for it.  Also, the market is well beyond college students.  My mother and most of her friends in LA have entire rooms, if not houses, furnished primarily by IKEA.

 

Fight Club's first scene is about the Ikea lifestyle of the urban professional, ps.

hey h&m would be a great "compromise" fit for retail in the tc higbees!

 

That's a great idea.  It's a big regional/tourist draw, and the clothes are hip and urban.  It has a department store feel, and a euro look.  re-tool TC for a more hip urban market with other stores like:

 

Kenneth Cole

Urban Outfitters

CB2(crate and barrel's hipper design stores)

Virgin Megastore

Aldo

Club Monaco

Container Store

DWR

West Elm

Zara

 

Give them cheap rent they can't refuse. 

 

Maybe the cinemas could even be an indie house like the Landmark Theatre chain

Has H&M opened in Crocker Park yet?  Are they currently planning any other Cleveland locations?

No, H&M won't be opening at Crocker Park until the fall. My guess is that they'd locate a second store either downtown (which would be a nice draw, even though I'm not a fan) or on the eastside.