Sweedidish Dish Attempts to Cloak Ikea Press Release in Half Hearted Story!!!

I would like everyone to know that we found this article on the SWEEDISH DISH. Hmmmmm. Kinda Bias since IKEA is from Switzerland? Anyway, from now on I will remain un-bias on how I feel about other peoples articles UNLESS I think it is a Press Release cloaked as a story. In which I believe this is! Very Pitiful for such a big company, but rough times call for rough measures. Anyway, you read the article and draw your own conclusions.

Christopher
EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations, LLC

10 things you should know about Ikea

By Brian Lindamood & Melissa Starker

The Swedish furniture seller is known for its affordability, its colorful, contemporary styles, and the for the cult-like devotion of its fans. Here are some reasons why shoppers love it so much.

1. Without Ikea, there might be no Martha Stewart at Kmart

Founded in 1943 as a discount store that expanded to carry furniture in 1947, the Swedish chain (named after the initials of founder Ingvar Kamprad and the farm and village where he grew up) was the first to put home goods of modern, high-quality design within the reach of most budgets. It took decades, but American retailers — through the likes of Michael Graves, Cynthia Rowley and Ms. Stewart — finally caught up.

2. The showroom is a candy store for DIY decorators

To show visitors the treasures that are packed up in the ground-floor warehouse area, the upper level at Ikea stores holds a massive showroom filled with setups for every room of the house. As you pencil in product details on sheets available at the entrance, you're free to touch, test out and be inspired by the items and how they're arranged. The showroom staff stays out of the way unless asked for help.

3. A world united in peace and cabinetry

The Ikea empire has grown to 270 stores in 36 countries. At every stop, the retailer spreads its message of hope for the un-handy and salvation for the un-stylish.

4. Learn to love the Allen wrench

The hexagonal tool is nearly synonymous with Ikea, since almost all the furniture requires assembly. It's amazing how little space is occupied by an un-assembled bedroom set. (This flat-furniture strategy — minimizing shipping and storage needs — is supposedly one of the secrets to the low prices.)

5. Lingonberries are delicious

The Scandinavian treat is available in the Ikea cafe, along with Swedish meatballs, Daim cake and more mundane fare. It's pretty good, considering the restaurant is located inside a furniture store.

6. It's about as environmentally friendly as a big-box retailer gets

The chain avoids old-growth wood in its products and touts its low-cost, flat-packing policies as resulting in less waste and less raw materials usage. Ikea is currently in the middle of a year-long initiative to cut back plastic bag usage at its stores by 50 percent, partly by charging for the bags. Proceeds in the first year (up to $1.75 million) will be turned over to American Forests, the country's oldest conservation nonprofit. Each location is also planting trees to offset CO2 emissions from the cars of staff and customers traveling to the store.

7. Ikea has balls

A whole cubicle full of big, colorful ones, in fact, part of a staffed playroom for kids who don't have their parents' endurance or enthusiasm for thrifty furniture finds. Sadly, stores have tight restrictions on the age and size of who's allowed into their playrooms, so adults are limited to observing jealously through the glass.

8. 344,000 square feet is a lot

It can take half a day to get through an Ikea store. You'll probably want to stop at the cafe for nourishment at some point, or at least rest your feet while "trying out" a living room display.

9. The crazy product names actually mean something

Unless you're up on Scandinavian languages, product names like "Klippan," "Flärke" and "Skruvsta" just sound nonsensically cool. But there's a method to the name game, which is played in Swedish, Finnish, Danish or Norwegian. For example, lines of shelving, coffee tables and upholstered furniture are named after places; chairs and desks take men's names; fabrics take women's names; and kids' furniture is usually named after animals or birds.

10. Yes, Ikea is coming to Ohio

The store in West Chester, off I-75 just north of Cincinnati, opens on March 12. If you really want to make sure you're first through the door, you can camp out there starting on March 10. For more info, click to ikea-usa.com.