UPDATE: The Sunrise, Florida IKEA’s Grand Opening
is scheduled for Wednesday, October 17th at 9:00 a.m.! 
The Swedish furniture giant IKEA will have a grand opening for its first store ever in Florida this Fall. The newest IKEA will be located at the northwest corner of I-595 / S.R. 84 and 136th Avenue in Sunrise, Florida (western Broward County) as part of the 25-acre “Gateway at Sawgrass” retail center. This store even includes a double-decker garage which will no doubt be filled to capacity during its first few weeks, followed by the holiday rush.
For IKEA’s loyal fans, this grand opening will mean no more need for catalogs or online shopping for their favorite furniture and accessory items. Florida has more customers than any other state without an IKEA store. Its 293,000 square feet of space will be much like other IKEA’s in that it will offer dozens of room settings, children’s play areas, and a restaurant that serves American food as well as Swedish specialty dishes.
Some may recall IKEA’s new location was originally the site of Blockbuster Golf and Games until the late 1990’s when it became defunct. IKEA scouted for a South Florida location for two years, creating some controversy along the way before securing this easily accessible location. The store is expected to become a destination spot much like the nearby Sawgrass Mills Mall has been since its opening. Surrounding the new IKEA store will be several high-end boutiques as well as new eateries.
The Sunrise, Florida, IKEA is expected to create approximately 400 jobs in an area that already has a low unemployment rate. Prospective employees are welcome to apply for various store positions. If you know anyone in Central Florida, a second Florida store – the Orlando IKEA – is scheduled to open on November 14, 2007.
Certainly, there is much competition among South Florida furniture stores but with the population of South Florida continuing to increase, I suspect one more furniture store won’t impact other area stores very much. No doubt, some of the 396 owners of the new Tao condos (which are nearing completion) or the hundreds of buyers of Artesia condos will be visiting some of the nearly dozen nearby furniture stores.
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