HOW SWEDE IT IS!
Ikea to open first Manhattan store — but you still gotta go to B’klyn site for meatballs
Manhattanites won’t have to cross any bridges or tunnels to shop at the Swedish furniture store when it opens a facility on Third Ave. this spring.
Oh, balls!
Ikea is opening a Manhattan location this spring, but those based in the borough will still have to schlep to Brooklyn for a taste of the brand’s beloved Swedish meatballs.
Unlike its larger stores that house restaurants, this will be a scaled-down version that sells products designed for small spaces. It’s all part of the chain’s plan to expand its line of cheap, modern furniture into more urban areas.
“The meatballs are important,” said a Lower East Side woman shopping at Ikea’s Red Hook location Tuesday. “It’s not a full experience without the meatballs.”
With a 999 Third Ave. address — between 59th and 60th Sts. near the border of Midtown and the Upper East Side — the planned Manhattan post be Ikea’s first city-center store in the U.S. and the first Ikea Planning Studio. That means that while you can browse and order in-store for delivery, you won’t be able to carry out any items.
“We know how much our customers enjoy our food, especially our meatballs, but there are currently no plans for a restaurant in the Planning Studio,” an Ikea spokesperson told the Daily News.
Eateries at the Swedish chain, known for furniture that buyers have to assemble, hawk grub including a marinated salmon wrap and Swedish apple cake. But the signature meatballs are a fan fave.
Tyler Jahn, 32, has come up with a back-up plan for future Manhattan Ikea outings. “No more Swedish meatballs? Oh, that’s alright! That is just a perk,” he said. “I’m sure in Manhattan you can go next door and get Swedish meatballs from the Swedish deli.”
The Planning Studio “will give customers the opportunity to discover, select and order IKEA products for delivery to their home, which is what urban residents want and need,” a release for the new store reads.
Mourad Ouazzi, 71, first sounded thrilled that the Ikea will open near his Midtown East home. “It’s a good store,” he said. “I like the price. I like the quality. So it’s a good thing.”
But his mood changed when he found out it was shipping only. “What’s the point of having a store if you can’t bring home your stuff?” Mourad said. “There are gonna be people who are gonna be frustrated. They like coming, touching and bringing stuff home. We need a whole Ikea.”
He’ll keep shopping in Brooklyn.
Jahn is fine with the shipping-only structure. “It’s great to have a store in the city so people don’t have to come all the way to Brooklyn to buy their furniture,” he said. “Sometimes you just need an extra part and stuff like that.”
Last month, Ikea announced it would cut 7,500 jobs around the world to cater more to online customers. Most of those jobs will be in human resources and communications . At the same time, the company vowed to create 11,500 new jobs at 30 new stores in urban centers and by investing in delivery.
Ikea, which was founded in Sweden in 1943 and now has more than 400 locations around the world, is evolving to be more “accessible and convenient for customers wherever they are,” according to Ikea’s release on the Manhattan spot.
“We recognize that we are in a rapidly changing retail environment, and to be fit for long-term growth, Ikea is transforming in a way that lets us meet our customers where they are,” Lars Petersson, country manager for Ikea Retail U.S., said in a statement. “New York City is the natural choice to open the first city center store — the most vibrant, dynamic city in the U.S., and the epicenter of retail, business, and culture.”