4 hours ago - Business

After years of waiting, IKEA is coming

Troy Smith

Exterior of an IKEA store with large yellow letters on a blue facade, clear blue sky, a parking lot with a black SUV, shoppers near the entrance and sign reading Home furnishings. — IKEA will occupy the space previously home to Dick's Sporting Goods in Crocker Park. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

IKEA, the retailer known for its flat-pack, ready-to-assemble furniture (with a side of Swedish meatballs), is finally coming to Northeast Ohio next spring.

Why it matters: IKEA was one of the few prominent retailers missing from the region and brings a powerful retail magnet to the west side.

Driving the news: It will be the latest addition to Crocker Park, Stark Enterprises, owner of the Westlake outdoor shopping center, announced Tuesday.

The news follows IKEA's announcement that it will open smaller-format locations in suburban shopping centers around the country — as opposed to its traditional 300,000-square-foot big-box stores.
The Crocker store will be 80,000 square feet and occupy the 50,000-square-foot space previously home to Dick's Sporting Goods.

What they're saying: "IKEA isn't simply another retailer — it's a destination that will draw visitors from across the Midwest," Stacie Schmidt, spokesperson for Stark Enterprises, said in a statement.

Flashback: This isn't the first time IKEA has tried to enter Northeast Ohio. Plans for a Brooklyn store fell through in 2016.

Another attempt for a location near Transportation Boulevard in Garfield Heights collapsed in 2018.

Zoom in: IKEA does have a pick-up location, operated by RXO Inc., on Tiedeman Road in Brooklyn.

Zoom out: The closest retail locations to Northeast Ohio were previously in Columbus, Pittsburgh and Detroit.

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After years of waiting, IKEA is coming

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