IKEA breaks ground

By this time next year, Portlanders won't have to go to Seattle for bookshelves and meatballs

By Ryan Geddes

LocalNewsDaily.com, Jul 25, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Swedish furniture mega-retailer IKEA broke ground on its planned 280,000 square-foot Portland store Tuesday, paving the way for a scheduled opening in the summer of 2007.

When finished, the store will be part of the Cascade Station shopping center under construction near the Portland International Airport, a 120-acre development with retail shops, office space, a hotel and a mass transit station.

The low-cost global furnishings retailer, based in Almhult, Sweden, sells everything from house plants to beds and and runs 235 stores worldwide.

IKEA has 28 U.S. stores, including one in Renton, Wash., near Seattle, currently its closest retail location to Portland. The company plans to hire about 350 people when it opens its Portland store.

"We are thrilled to enter the greater Portland and Vancouver area with a second home in the Pacific Northwest," said IKEA real estate manager Pat Merwin.

The planned Portland store will feature 50 display rooms, three complete "homes" and a supervised children's play area.

Shoppers looking for the ultimate Scandinavian experience can even stop by the future store's 250-seat restaurant, which plans to serve, among other dishes, Swedish meatballs. What else?

www.ikea-usa.com

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