IKEA Orlando 14 Nov 2007 Opening

November 14, 2007
IKEA opening is a C. Florida eventBY CHRIS KRIDLER FLORIDA TODAY
ORLANDO -- A giant pep rally met shopping spree when IKEA opened its Orlando home furnishings store today, the second in Florida, with a circus of entertainment and media.Amid a forest of TV satellite trucks and under several hovering helicopters, hundreds of people waited in line to enter the doors at 9 a.m. They were entertained by jugglers, trampoline artists, giveaways, a children’s choir and a chef handing out Swedish meatballs. Some had been waiting since Monday; the first 100 adults in line got a free chair.“I’ve been in line since 1 o’clock p.m. yesterday,” said Jen Mak of Orlando, who had the weary look shared by many of the first in line.Many said it was a loud night among the camping customers.“It depends on where in line you are and how your neighbors are,” Mak said, “because we had neighbors who were up and talking all night long, and people playing board games and just screaming their heads off.”There was a lot of screaming this morning, too, as pumped-up employees in yellow shirts banged together their inflatable IKEA sticks to pounding music and cheers.Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other officials welcomed IKEA before the doors opened and the cheering workers (or as IKEA calls them, co-workers) entered, followed by a stream of customers. An hour later, they were still flowing in, and employees were still cheering.The store, next to the Mall at Millenia, sports a 309,000-square-foot space, filled with furnishings for every room and, indeed, model rooms and apartments. Known for its contemporary design, much IKEA furniture is assemble-it-yourself, which keeps the price down.Sarina Cabrera of Orlando, who’d been in line for two days, wasn’t sure what she’d do once she entered. “Find a couch somewhere and like pass out,” she mused.The store was packed, and even at mid-morning, cars still poured into the overflow parking area, a field adjacent to the pavement.Through Sunday, customers can enter a drawing for a $1000 gift card. The company presented a matching amount of merchandise to A Gift For Teaching, which donates school supplies to teachers and students in need.There’s a new IKEA store in Sunrise in South Florida, and another is planned for Tampa.