Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Bigger isn't Always Better


This is Texas, which prides itself on having the biggest everything. We had an Ikea, it was big but it wasn't BIG ENOUGH. So they acquired the adjacent lot, built a bigger one and tore the old one down for a parking lot (and no, they didn't pave paradise in the process).

Went there today to help a friend bring a chair home home. Early in the morning, not especially crowded but I swear it took us 30 min. to find it , haul it to the cash register and leave. Friend knew exactly what chair she wanted. The 30 minutes were spent following their rabbit trail from entrance to exit. One cannot nip in and out of Ikea, one must stroll / meander/ power walk/ through the entire store.

I like Ikea, I really do. I appreciate the fact that they produce well designed furniture & household items for a reasonable price. They don't feel the need to add tacky plastic "carvings" to their headboards or make fake Louis XVth chairs. It's all clean lines, muted colors, and blond wood. Hip, stylish, trendy but not passe by years end.

But it's overwhelming. I think I'll confine my Ikea shopping to their catalog, call ahead and have it waiting for me!

2 comments:

Julie said...

I haven't been to an Ikea in years, not since the late 80s when I was living in Philadelphia. There are plans afoot for a new Ikea in our area and we are VERY EXCITED about it.

Gel said...

I know what you mean G. It's the same w/ the one in our area. I've not been since my oldest was a toddler, but the clean lines has always appealed to me.