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Category: Furniture Stores
Neighborhood: Red HookMon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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my trip here a few weeks ago was way easier than expected.
the subway & shuttle from manhattan went pretty smooth, and the crowds not overbearing. that said, i went halloween afternoon with the hopes the crowds wouldn't be too bad - and it paid off.
i got a bed frame, desk, dresser and chair for under $500 which was a huge win.
i was also lucky enough for an 'independent delivery man' to find me in line and offer to drive me and my stuff back to the city.
skipping the delivery line, getting a ride home, and paying far less than the formal delivery = amazing.
not being murdered and my stuff sold on the ikea black-market = even more amazing!
I was a little girl and my parents dropped me off @ the kids play area while they shopped...I never really enjoyed the kids area because I would be happier roaming around the marketplace!
...but I'm A KLUTZ... I'd probably embarrass my mom with knocking over something!
Now that I'm older I still love ikea....it's fun! BUT you will be miserable if you have a mission to get all the stuff you need to get in that day and have it delivered...especially on the weekends when the lines are a little insane. It will take FOREVER!
This particular Ikea is fun because of the water taxi ride from Pier 11, which comes every 20 mins on weekends I think and every 40 on weekdays...you get to see the statue of liberty on your way to furniture shopping! How cool....it's free on the weekends and 5$ with validation when you buy something over 10$ @ Ikea on the weekdays.
You can't leave ikea without the meatballs and cinnamon buns! CHEAP and YUMMY! Both of which I LOVE!
Three stars because this was an exhausting day. And I wouldn't even ATTEMPT the food court on the weekend. Good God.
I went last weekend with my brother and his girlfriend and helped them wade through shelving/entertainment center options. I personally ended up leaving with some kitchen organization items, a computer desk chair and an IKEA reuseable bag. Some of the items here were amazingly cheap and then there were others where I thought "Really?? That expensive? And I have to build it myself and take it on the shuttle/subway home?" However, overall, ESPECIALLY if you are in a new place and trying to figure out how to make things look better or be better organized, you might want to set aside a day for IKEA in Red Hook.
Just get some rest the night before and bring some snacks.
This is a great ikea since its in the 5 boros but getting here from queens is rough. Easier just to drive out to Hicksville.
If you in manhattan or brooklyn i suppose its not inconvenient. The maze you have to travel to get hear is rough.
otherwise its a lovely new building and the ikea you know and love.
The first time I came to IKEA it had nothing to do with furniture, and everything to do with a summertime bike ride. I was still living on the UES at the time, so I took my bike downtown and boarded the free IKEA water taxi to Red Hook. It was not my first trip to RH, but the first one with my bike. I took advantage of it and explored the neighborhood (which I really like, btw), and then went back to the UES by bike (all the way up to DUMBO, across the Manhattan Bridge, LES, 3rd Ave., etc...). Thank you IKEA for a wonderful bike ride!
About a year ago I had to get some furniture for my new apartment, which included a Bjurista extendable dining table, four matching chairs, and two Malm 3-drawer chests with glass tops, plus some other stuff (a mirror, two pillow cases, a duvet cover, candles, etc...). I like the furniture I got, and it was fun putting it together. I have to say thank you to my gf and her car, though: without her, I would never have been able to get all that stuff back by bus.
Delivery ain't cheap; if you don't have a car, I suggest you rent a U-Haul van for $19.95, which is cheaper than what IKEA will charge you for delivery.
OH IKEA!!! Your food court fills the empty space in my.... stomach haha - got my fill of meatballs, mashed potatoes & fries before starting my spending spree.
Had to get stuff for my new place - I love how ridiculously cheap things can be, though I wish some things were cheaper. I am going to go back once I get a job. I like how this IKEA is split up on different levels. This location is great b/c it's in an open area. The shuttle bus to the subway station is great! And don't forget the as-is section-always has good deals!
This place is freaking bannanas. I have been to Ikea a few times to walk around but, have never purchased anything.. The thing that absolutely sucks about Ikea is not so much the cheap quality, or the genericness of it all, it's the people working there..
The craziness starts when you have written down al of your choices and then are expected to go to various bins and carry this crap yourself.. It might be easy if you are picking up a piece or two but, we were making an entire guest room.. About 9 pieces of furniture in total..
After not having half of the items we selected we interupted these three morons using disgusting language.. It was obviously a big deal to get these apathetic dults to stop cursing for a second and to help us.. Some sleepy eyed jerk looks at me and says if it aint on the shelf, it aint on the shelf.. It was either that or some other eloquent statement..
I go to the manager and he tells me that they do have additional storage and he will have to get it for me at night.. They called it an airpick..
So, after gathering various paper work, we go to check out.. Check out in the middle of a day on a friday was about a half an hour.. On a weekend, it must be closer to an hour..
The next step is after getting your receipts and lugging your furniture over, you have to wait in the delivery and assembly line.. If you think the people at Ikea are retarded, well the delivery people are even worse. I think if you are working at the delivery company attached to Ikea, you must have not been smart enough to work at Ikea..
This process took one an hour with 4 people in line ahead of us. It then required us to make three additional calls to some asshole named Wesley in shipping..
This place has ok furniture, cheap pricing, horrible staff and checking out procedures. .If you go here on a weekend, pack a lunch and dinner..
This could not be a worse location or store to buy from. Run away as fast as you can. The associates are incompetent, nasty, rude, uneducated and in general some of the dumbest people I have ever encounter in retail. Most lie, none work, and ABSOLUTELY NOBODY CARES.
The fact that these people even bother to show up for work every day amazes me, although, based on how little they actually do, its probably a pretty sweet gig.
And by the way, you get what you pay for at this store. Its cheap because its crap, not because it packs flat.
The Good:
It's Ikea! In Brooklyn! Cheap, affordable furniture that leans ever so slightly towards the positive side on the style meter.
The Bad:
It's Ikea! In Brooklyn! That stuff may be cheap and affordable, but it's about as durable as the 2009 Mets roster, and the instructions are all apparently drawn by 3rd graders. Swedish 3rd graders.
A Dyslexic's Worst Nightmare:
I have enough trouble with words like "cerebration". I don't need "Medalj" or "Domsjo" added to my vocabulary. Those Swedish bastards.
Went here a couple days ago (Tue) to look for stuff. $4.99 meatball meal becomes $2.49 after 4p! WTF?! That's the best kind of awesomeness!!! If I had a car, I'd be making this a regular dinner spot when I'm on a tight budget.
BTW, Wednesday is Baby Back Rib night for $7. Good deal!
Everything is still clean and orderly, well it was a Tuesday but yeah...still the same.
Going to Ikea reminds me of the days of living in CA and it's like church, you know where everything… Read more »
It's an IKEA. In Brooklyn. Affordable furniture, cheap eats. that'll get it 3 stars.
What's really cool is the FREE Water Taxi from downtown NYC! The little cutter comes every 20 minutes or so and offers a gorgeous view of Ellis Island, Liberty Island, Governor's Island and of course Downtown Manhattan. Even the wait on Pier 11 is fun - to the south you'll see helicopters taking off and landing while ships and kayakers float along the East River. To the north are the tall ships docked in the South Street Seaport.
All this, because IKEA wants business from the Manhattan crowd. Free ferry ride and cheap swedish meatballs. Sweet!
I, like many of my friends LOVE IKEA. Traditionally I would go to the one in Elizabeth because of the free shuttle bus and the lower sales tax, but I have to say, Brooklyn makes it hard to go back to NJ.
The location is large, well lit, and clean, and during the weekday, a joy to shop. I haven't been there on a weekend yet, so I'm rather apprehensive, however, if it's anything like during the week day, then we're good. The prices are all you'd expect from IKEA: cheap. The marketplace and the food are also at great locations, offering full meals by the children's furniture department while offering up snack items by the delivery and pick-up areas.
The only reason I'm dropping a star is because of two things: availability of their items and their wait time for pick up. Understandably they can't be stocked with everything all at once, however when they give scheduled in-store items, they should be available or at least given a better round about estimation. Also the wait for pick up tends to be ridiculously long, and I mean half hour long. Also on the last occasion I went, one of the employees wasn't paying attention when we were trying to order an item and kept insisting the product was never created when we kept pointing to the product in front of him as well as the size specs. I won't count it against this location because my friend and I had met plenty of others that knew what they were doing.
It was Rib Night. $8 for a half rack, fries and cornbread. Which is a sweet deal, especially considering I fucking LOVE ribs. But I couldn't decide if I should go for it. You know, because it's IKEA.
As I stood there contemplating, the song on the PA changed, and suddenly the ladies of En Vogue were telling me to free my mind. You know, because the rest would follow. It was a sign. It was like they were saying, "What, you're too good for IKEA ribs?"
Well, I always listen to everything En Vogue says...and you know what? The ribs weren't half bad, the fries and cornbread were great, AND we got some garlic bread for free. However, despite the surprisingly not terrible food, something about dining in the IKEA "restaurant" depresses me. Right down to my soul.
But you don't come to IKEA to eat,* so that's enough about that.
IKEA has cheap, sturdy furniture for any purpose or function. It's not going to cause anyone you invite over to exclaim, "Oh my god, WHERE did you get that DARLING table?!" But if you want someone to say that, or if you know people who would say that, you have larger issues. It's just a place to fill your simple needs.
Beware: there is no running quickly into IKEA, even if you know exactly what you want. You have to walk past every single thing they stock in order to find the exit. That's how they get you. It's very smart. If you pass by everything you could possibly need, it's hard to buy just one item. They sell everything. Even cases of freaking candy bars. Who needs hundreds of IKEA candy bars?**
Once you shlep your dresser or whatever home, you've got to build it. I pulled everything out of the box, and the project seemed extremely daunting. I'd never put one of these things together before; I just thought I was the only idiot who didn't know how to do it. But that's just because someone FORGOT TO GIVE ME INSTRUCTIONS. Seriously, they weren't in there. Luckily, you can find them on the IKEA website, and assembly is pretty easy once you've got them.
Also, if you enlist your brilliant girlfriend's help, and you're not that good with the pegs/screws, you might hear her exasperatedly say, "Are you high? You put it in the wrong hole again."
Hehe.
________________
*Unless you're a large family with small children, or a young couple, or a single guy, or a single girl, or an elderly couple, or...huh. I guess people do come to IKEA to eat.
**Seriously, who needs some. I have an entire box, and I don't even like chocolate.
I like the sense of design, the inexpensive prices and the fun concepts offered by IKEA. I like the shuttle buses and the water taxi that are offered.
But....don't buy much unless you plan on carrying it all home. First you wait on incredibly long lines to pay for your items, unloading your own cart. Then after you pay for them, you put them back in your own cart. Nothing gets packaged or wrapped. (It is worth paying just a bit more at Bath Bed and Beyond...they wrap.) Okay...so we bought too much and wanted to have it sent. In Brooklyn it is $89 and other boroughs, $99. So much for cheap purchases. And do you know what you get for your $89/$99? A cartons and some paper to wrap your own purchases and a recommendation that you take anything breakable with you. But...nothing to wrap that it in....if you want to purchase one of their bags you need to get back on that long line. To continue: After placing items in the carton and filling out a delivery form, we were they told to wait on another line so that everything could be entered in the computer. The data entry person then entered all the purchases we made...that was the third line and the third listing of our purchases. Still no way to purchase a bag unless we were willing to wait in line, yet again.
Okay...let's get out of here. Whoops...now the security guard needed to check our purchases. By this time, $89/$99 and about 45 minutes wasted, we fled to the water taxi which runs, free of charge on weekends only, every 40 minutes. Yup...we just missed one.
Two advils, a bottle of water and a nap were needed to recover. With Targets, Bed Bath and Beyonds among other places, why bother with this place? In the long run, they are not that much more expensive.
It's nice that Brooklyn has this giant store, but I've never been a real fan of IKEA. I always felt like the furniture was cheap and a bad investment but when you're mostly broke and just trying to fit a futon into a closet, I guess it's the way to go.
It's pretty cool how much manpower they devote to traffic directing when you're just trying to park your car. Afterward, though, entering the building and getting around seemed a little confusing.
There was this jerk and his little jerk daughter who cut us in line at the food court and they looked like the mountain people from "Deliverance" so we just shut up and guarded our butts. I don't like those people and I don't like IKEA. But I'll rate them well because the building looks nice and it's prolly a nice place for people other than me.
Okay bye.
IKEA is like a premature ejaculation problem. You get all excited about your new minimalistic living room at the store, but you celebrate it too soon and lose stamina shortly after. See, just cause you were able to note down the aisle and the bin numbers, you think your job is done.
No Sir, it ain't. It's only the beginning. When you're faced with a dozen ass-breaking boxes in your home with no furniture, you wish you'd just paid a little premium for having it in life-like form rather than in jigsaw puzzle. Is the relatively low price worth the hassle? Maybe, if we're talking coffee tables and bookshelves, but certainly not big items like beds and entertainment centers.
I say you either be a mutant with Popeye guns or have a man-slave if you shop at IKEA. Suck my Swedish balls, I can't deal with this crap anymore, not after having the to discard all furniture after every divorce/break-up, No. I am done with disposable furniture. And don't even get me started with the midget pencils!
A short summary of ikea
1. cheap stylish furniture
2. tasteful meatballs ( i kid you not.. i sometimes come to ikea for the meatballs)
3. fun shopping
LOVE LOVE LOVE IKEA!!!
I heart IKEA! One of my favorite stores after Costco and Nordstrom. I love the modern, affordable housewares and furnishings you can get here. The water taxi here is fast, easily accessible, and free on the weekends! Weekdays its $5 each way but free if you buy at least $10 worth of IKEA purchases. I didnt buy much since I dont have a place to furnish but when I get my new place I will totally be back! It doesnt hurt that you can get cheap food after to fill your empty stomach.
What's the best time to visit Ikea?
I'll tell you.
3pm on a Thursday. It was a ghost town.
*No shitty kids crying everywhere.
*No hoards of people getting in the way.
*No lines for the cash register.
*No wait for a car.
Best Ikea visit ever.
IF YOU'VE BEEN IN AN IKEA BEFORE IN ANOTHER CITY/COUNTRY, THIS IS NOT THE SAME!
I thought the negative reviews were based on uninformedness about disassembled furniture etc, but no.
Difficult to find prices, the price-tag of the item may be somewhere else several feet away or might not exist at all. People in the store are RUDE. None of them are helpful.
Out of all IKEA's I've seen so far in 4 countries, this is the worst I've seen so far. Too bad!
I called to see if they have the saw I need, its been over a week now, and they still don't have it. This time the woman said she was sure they would get a shipment within "a week and a half" but that she can't put one on hold for me when it arrives. Oh really? Thanks for nothing.
This place sucks.
WEEKs LATER: Went to Ikea in Elizabeth, NJ. Take the free Bus from the Port Authority and pay 3.5% sales tax (instead of 8.5% in Brooklyn). Just go to NJ, it isn't even worth going to the one in in Brooklyn. The one in NJ has most things in stock and is much friendlier. Plus you can watch planes take off while you eat.
I unfortunately have been to this IKEA 3 times in the last couple weeks.
First, despite the announcer…
Read more »
I think IKEA is great over all you get what you pay for..
This Red hook IKEA is really big.. good parking and they usually have what you are looking for.. It does get really crowed so be ready to speand about an hour online.. but you can always spend that hour online eating there $0.50 Hot Dogs which are really good and so are there honey buns.. Next time I go by I will pick up there meatballs :-)
No clocks and no windows -- and therefore, absolutely no concept of the world outside or the passage of time. No, I'm not talking about casinos. I'm talking about IKEA.
Now, it's not that I don't enjoy the concept of IKEA. I enjoy $7.99 coffee tables that actually last. I enjoy the fact that IKEA has a tiny dog tent for sale, even though my dog is not particularly interested in such things. Spatulas! I also enjoy those.
Having said that...
I try very hard to limit my trips to Scandinavia's Purgatory to something that happens, ideally, about twice a decade. So far, I am proud to say seem to be on track with this. Because saying "it's just too much" to describe this place is the understatement of the century. Every time I go, I'm reminded that I haven't experienced quite the same kind of sensory overload since the last time I attended a rave. (Which would be college. And granted, would not be quiiiite the same kind of sensory overload....but my point still stands, okay?)
I am so disappointed with IKEA brooklyn.
First, since they sell items unassembled, you never know the item you are buying is defected or not. The return policy is all the same regardless that it is defect or it is just change of your mind. You should bring it back to the store yourself. They would never pick the item from you even when it is not your fault. I could not assemble the chair because it turned out to be defected but as you know it is not easy to carry it all the way to the store. To buy this, I had to use a taxi. Their response is that they cannot pick it up unless I got it delivered when purchasing.
Even after all the fuss, when you will have an exchange, you still do not know whether the item is defected or not. I called them and they repeated the same stupid thing.
Also, there was discrepancy between the customer representative over the phone and the email representative. From phone consultation, I was told that I should bring the item to the store, he did not suggest any better solution. However, the email response which came too late said that I can bring only the part defected and in that case I can easily see the replaced part is not defected right away at the spot. Why did the phone representative not tell me so? If he had done so, it could have saved a lot of my energy/time and taxi fare not to mention the exhausting haggling with IKEA.
In addition, their instructions are lousy. Some important cautions are missing. So even after I followed every step they say, I ended up with one shelf of a book case having rough side facing the front.
They say that it is easy to assemble and you don't need any fancy equipment. However, that is not the case, They do not understand how hard it is since all they do is assembling with the electronic screw-driver. They do not know the pain of using regular simple manual screwer. I got a blister on my palm and pain in my wrist. Unless you have or can borrow one, do not try to buy any items including wood materials.
Finally, they advertise their cheap quality food. But I liked the food of IKEA elizabeth far more. They provided meatball with cranberry sauce. Here you cannot choose. If you choose the most inexpensive 4.99 meatball, the sauce is something something berry other than cranberry. In addition, the store card you can get when you return something cannot be used at the cafeteria. They seem to make the waiting time for return intentionally long so that you have to eat there. Although I enjoyed eating there four times the same meal was not so pleasant not to mention that I could not use the store card to pay for the meals.
Why the staff cannot think.. and try to be more empathetic and suggest any solution other than repeating the official guidelines? That way they could actually reduce their work as well.
I also think their return policy is too inflexible. I first returned a swivel chair, since it was too low and was not height adjustable. I already assembled and could not dissemble will all my hands. So, I had to bring the whole chair back to the store. Since it was too big, I could not carry the box. In fact, the box was still in my apt. They did not refund as the method I paid because I did not bring the box. Instead they gave me a store credit. However, as everybody can tell, the whole assembled complete chair tells itself that there is nothing missing. So, be reminded that they do not always refund as you paid.
Anyway, whenever I have to shop at IKEA, I feel depressed and miserable and this exhaustion keeps reminding me of my economic status. As long as I have a little more room financially, I would never care to buying from here.
It's Ikea. It does what Ikea does: cheap furniture, both in price and quality. Crowded on weekends, deserted (at least relatively) on weekdays, and usually out of stock of one of the four things you came for.
But truly, nothing beats waiting outside in the hot summer sun for 45 minutes for a shuttle that's scheduled to come every 15 minutes.
Do not, I repeat DO NOT come to IKEA on Memorial Day weekend.
Not even for the delicious mac n cheese.
Not even for the 99 cents picture frames.
Not even for the unbelievable $50 Expedit bookshelves (normally 80 bucks)
IKEA is usually my happy place.
Today, IKEA was my cranky, I just want to leave, UNhappy place.
woooohoooooo for IKEA. I am stoked that there is an Ikea only 5 miles from my new apartment in… Read more »
I love IKEA. I love their catalogs.
People may say their furniture is crap, but I beg to differ. They do have some crap, but what makes their middle of the line stuff any worse than the crap at Target or the used stuff on Craigslist?
Don't let this lovely furniture paradise fool you though, your home will never be as clutter free as the showroom, unless you own nothing & I mean nothing. Somehow you'll become convinced that the more items you buy, the more organized you'll be. (don't give in)
I've purchased quite a few things via Wall Street Ferry + same day delivery. It worked out well for me, and everything is still in tact even after standing on my desk to hang a mirror.
Actually, tell your friends that if they want a good view of the Statue of Liberty, they should just go to Ikea. Spend the $25 there on some decor item and save yourself a trip on the Circle Line.
Did I enjoy the cheap whatnots? yes
Did I enjoy being pushed onto the floor by some woman trying to secure the last box of girflukennoken? no.
Last time I came here all I bought was caviar. I swear.
I walked through the whole gddamn maze like a labratory rat, picked out a piece of furniture, and walked down to the warehouse only to find it wasn't in stock. I would have compromised and selected a different file cabinet but then I caught a glimpse of the line. It went on for kilometers (Sweden uses the metric system), wasn't worth it. Instead I walked over to the Swedish food store and bought some black caviar for $4.99. Needless to say, it wasn't very good. Oh well.
I'm not saying stay away from this Ikea altogether. You can definitely get some decent looking furniture for a great price with a lifespan of about 2 years.But I AM saying be selective about WHEN you come here. It can get unbearably crowded on weekends.
Also, another suggestion:
Come on a nice day. This Ikea offers something that the others don't- a cool outside area. It is positioned right on the Red Hook Docks where ships and barges used to come for repairs; much of the original equipment is still there (I'm a sucker for history). On a clear day you're able to view ship activity going on in the distant waters, the statue of liberty, and Manhattan skyline. There are plenty of benches where you can sit down, eat your crappy fish eggs, and take in the spectacular surroundings. Check it out.
Ikea is what it is.. cheap stuff that makes the trip out there worth it. I wouldn't buy my furniture here, but maybe thats just me. But for kitchen crap and misc things to make your overpriced apartment look cooler, it's a-ok.
I went to buy dishes, pots/pans, glasses, etc for my new place and got out for under $100 - and that included the 2 hot dogs and pepsi combo for $2.50 at the end. You really can't beat that.
Be sure to go on a nice day so you can wear your flippy floppies while you're ON A BOAT!
This Ikea is huge and I think it's better than the Long Island one. It has just about everything your looking for from IKEA. And after hours of shopping.. reward yourself with a .50 cent Hotdog !!!!!! Ohh soo heavenly.
Great place to kill time with your friends and walk through each living space, kitchen , or bedroom samples and picture it as your own.
Mgmt needs to visit Ikea Paramus to see how its done. Bathroom was disgusting. Either they signed off and didn't clean or they need to clean every half hour. inventory for lamps was in disarray and opened.
Take a video of Paramus store and make employees watch it.
There isn't much difference from IKEA to IKEA but I think the Red Hook location gives this one the distinction of being the biggest pain to get to sans car. Bless its heart, IKEA has made great accommodations to make it convenient but if you're coming from Manhattan there is no way to get there without a minimum of two forms of transportation - some combination of subway, long-distance walking, cab, bus, shuttle, car service, water taxi. We opted for the subway to Wall St., 8 block walk to Pier 11 and water taxi. They run a FREE water taxi starting in the early afternoon everyday. Only in NYC can you be riding a water taxi, clutching a huge blue bag of IKEA stuff, look out the window and and see the Statue of Liberty.
Part of the excursion was for a poor man's lunch feast of swedish meatballs in the restaurant followed by cinnamon buns and soft serve ice cream in the cafe. Word.
Love the new location; however, it's a pain to get to from Manhattan! Thankfully they have water taxi rides from South Street Seaport.
As usual, whenever I go to a business located in Brooklyn, I always expect it to be trashed and not as good as any other location. It's just the way I think of Brooklyn, so when I decided to visit this Ikea for the first time today, I expected a not-so-clean store with a less than friendly staff. Fortunately I was wrong.
The store looked pretty clean and organized. It had the same vibe than any other location I've visited which was a pleasant surprise. Of course there were a few reminders that you were in Brooklyn, and that was the terrible view in the cafeteria (you get to see a dirty, industrial area while eating your meatballs) and an occasional irrate customer with a Brooklyn accent in the background.
Overall I had a good experience here. I liked the store overall and only wish it were in a nicer area but if this were the case, then it probably wouldn't be located in Brooklyn. ;)
being in funemployment and all, i find that i seem to have alot of time on my hands ... i am more relaxed, more pleasant (i.e. less bitchy) and generally a nicer person to be around. (methinks it's probably because of all the drinking.) having no money really does that to a person.*
so when the bro asked me to make a trip to the ikea in red hook to buy him a lamp, i eagerly agreed because i'd always wanted to explore the area.
however, i should have known better - the bro is uber-picky (some people call it "particular") and a bit of a control-freak. he had emailed me the two lamps he was between a few days earlier, and clearly specified that he wanted whichever was brighter. i, knowing my bro's endearing qualities quite well, decided to follow all instructions to the tee.
the day started off nicely - i walked to the borough street hall shuttle stop and took the very small mini-bus to red hook (FYI - it only runs from 3 to 8PM on weekdays). i enjoyed my scenic view and loved that i arrived to a store that wasn't bumpin' and grindin' as it tends to on the weekends. since i wasn't really spending my own money, i took my sweet time perusing the aisles and imagining what my room would look like with NEW ikea furniture vs. secondhand ikea furniture i unabashedly claimed from my friends. man, i was living large.
towards the end of my journey, i finally hit the lamp area and found the two that my brother had singled-out earlier - the astrid and the kroby. although he preferred the kroby, i thought that it looked kinda crappy in real-life and decided to buy him the astrid because 1) it could handle more wattage and 2) it was more aesthetically-pleasing. just in case, i called the bro to confirm so i could manage his expectations accordingly.
his response: "i don't care what it looks like, aims - just buy me the brightest lamp under $60."
oh, crap.
lamps are not my forte. full disclosure - i don't know the difference a halogen, energy-saving or regular wattage lamp. and when things turn ambiguous with the brother, i know i'm in for trouble ... and i did not want this trip to be made in vain.
i quickly ran around the floor looking for a sales associate that could please explain these nuances to me. luckily, i found a kind soul that explained the differences - with a straight face, mind you (he was having a hard time keeping it) - and even went as far to open-up a new light bulb for me so i could judge for myself how bright it was. with his help, i was able to find the brightest lamp, albeit heinous, that fit the bro's parameters. being the good sis that i am, i also took an energy-saving bulb to go.
after lugging all this heavy shit back to BK heights, it turns out that the bro did NOT like the lamp. (are you surprised?) we ended up coming back two days later. too bad THAT trip was thwarted by our desire to explore baked.
this concludes the "chronicles of ikea: the search for the perfect lamp." the end. i didn't even get to have a swedish meatball. booo.
* - feel free to donate to the 1-800-I-SO-HUNGRY fund.
So I finally get to Ikea, its wayyy closer than the long island one, and I found the parking to be quite easy in the garage. I walked inside, and was greeted by a very friendly lady, went up the stairs and I knew what I wanted and I knew I had to get out as soon as possible... OR ELSE! So I found my beloved panel curtains yayyy they had them! And I quickly hid the last two cream panel curtains they had left and went to return an item that I impulse bought for no reason on my last visit because it was $20 for a 3 beamed roof lights that would have looked SICK in my apartment (Ikea does that to you) thats why you must get out ASAP!
Well.... after waiting for about 190 people in front of me to return their items (and swapping tickets with some lady who took two out of spite) and beating my top score of brickbreaker on my phone, I finally returned my item... then on my treck back to my hidden panel curtains, I bought some bamboo plants, a small rug, a picture frame, some new glass cups and some swedish napkins I dont use. Once again Ikea does that to you....
Negatives:
-Buying stuff you dont need
-The eternity line of returns
-So many damn people you get frustrated while walking around
-The directions on my items are made by a little swedish dude that is told to explain how to put something together with pictures (caveman style), instead of writing.
If Obama were to endorse a home furnishings establishment it would definitely be Ikea.
Hope.
Every time I'm here I feel as if it's New Years Day, or some other revitalizing date on the calendar. I'm surrounded by a myriad of emotions. There's excitement, frustration, confusion, anger, love, fear, perplexity, relief, sadness. The list goes on. I'm often inspired by the variety of characters. Cute couples looking for housewares, parents looking for dorm furnishings for teenagers off to college, kids jumping on furniture and giggling incessantly.
The products themselves don't always live up to my expectations, but I always find something I like, be it something from the fantastic As-Is section, 100 tea lights for 5 bones, boxes for my doo-dads. My mission this trip was to find a good place to store my clothing. I failed. Not because they didn't have what I was looking for, but because someone stole all the cash from my wallet (left it in the bathroom, d'oh). But I'm not going to blame it on Ikea.
The best aspect of this particular location is not the meatballs, and not the gooey cinnamon buns. It's the water taxi (I will admit that it was very nearly tied with the pair of gangsters playing with dog stuffed animals and making ridiculously accurate animal sounds). It's super convenient and totally fun. It's like getting a little water tour fo free. Without some annoying tour guide talking!
I love Ikea.
A new store, the entire thing is above the parking lot, and escalators take you to the next floor where the restaurant, checkout and marketplace exist; displays and sets and more are on the third floor.
Like all the local IKEAs, a place to drop the kids, eat, and shop. Big and new, it's okay... but I would have to say getting here they have the free water taxi from Pier 11 in Manhattan - super convenient and easy to get here that way, that pushes it from one to two stars. Transporting large goods, not so much, you still need a Zipcar truck or get it delivered.
Streets here at night -- not the best. I'd avoid going after dark if driving.
IKEA is...Swedish Meatballs, hot dogs 50 cents, affordable furniture for all the rooms in your home, storage, lights, long lines, free parking and bus service, crowds of people and bring your own shopping bag and the list goes on and on...!
I like IKEA! But can somebody tell me why I see so many people selling their IKEA furniture on Craig's List?
Neighborhood: Red Hook
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Dyker Heights
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Forest Hills
Category: Newspapers & Magazines
Paramus, NJ
Category: Furniture Stores
Neighborhood: Williamsburg - South Side
Category: Antiques
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