It’s been a looooooooong wait since we first heard the news back in January of 2009 (eek, I was just starting my very first 365 project that month, seems like a hundred years ago!) that Ikea would be opening the Largest! Ikea! in Canada! right here in Ottawa. It will be 427,000 sq. ft. of inspiration, with 55 show rooms, double the product selection, and a whopping 640 (!) seats at the restaurant. It’s the size of eight football fields, people!
I’d be pretty excited about this under ordinary circumstances, but I am way over the top excited about the grand opening next week for a couple of reasons. First, Ikea has offered to be a blog sponsor for the month of December, to help spread the word about the new store. Check out the new ad in the sidebar over there on the right. —>
And then Beloved and I were invited with a bunch of other Ottawa bloggers and media types to a special preview event on Monday, just two days before the big grand opening. Stand by for giddy tweets and a blog post on that!
Ikea has been a part of my life as long as I’ve lived in Ottawa. I remember going out to the old store in Bells Corners when I first moved out here in 1988. In fact, one of the few remnants from my “practice marriage” is a pine dresser we received as a wedding present, purchased at Ikea and one of the few pieces of anything I deemed worthy of keeping when we split up in the early 1990s. There’s not a room in my house that doesn’t have Ikea *something* in it, right down to the bathrooms. Cabinets, dressers, beds, pots and pans, shelves, picture frames, plates, coat racks, toy bins, shower curtains; I can’t imagine how bare the place would be without Ikea’s influence.
It’s serendipitous that I’m writing this post about the new Ikea as I listen to the thumps and bangs of a new high-efficiency furnace being installed in the basement beneath me. No, Ikea is not (yet?) in the business of home heating, but they recently sent me an interesting press release explaining how the new store will be 40 per cent more energy efficient than the most recently built Canadian store (built back in 2004.) More from the press release:
Growing more than 360,500 square feet in size, the store will be going from Canada’s smallest to its largest. The new building will use an automation system for increased energy efficiency, and will take advantage of available technologies in lighting and water sensors, low flow plumbing, efficient light sources and highly efficient restaurant equipment. The Ottawa store will be equipped with facilities and equipment to allow the store to achieve a goal of diverting 90% of its solid waste from the landfill.
True to form, Ikea has found a fun and unique way to invite the citizens of Ottawa to join in the fun and festivities of the grand opening. I saw the truck with the “Ottawa Interior Beautification Plan” driving around earlier this week, but didn’t catch the Facebook promotion until a few days ago. Here’s what the Ikea folks are up to:
To build excitement around the opening, we are introducing the Ottawa Interior Beautification Plan which will will include:
- Setting up trade in locations for Ottawans to exchange their old items for beautification credits (IKEA gift cards). Locations To Be Announced.
- Conducting drive by beautifications, where we will drive our IKEA truck through different neighbourhoods, trading unwanted items for Beautification credits to anyone with our Beautification signs in their windows. The signs can be downloaded from the IKEA Canada Facebook page or clipped out of the December 3rd Ottawa Citizen.
- Giving away new IKEA items at outdoor beautification boards all over Ottawa.
You can get more information on Ikea’sOttawa Beautification Plan on their Facebook page. 🙂
I have to say, of all the things I’ve hauled home over the years, among my favourites are the plates and bowls I picked up last Christmas, navy blue with white stars and white with navy blue stars, and these multicoloured daisies I bought by the handful this summer. I have them all over the house, and you can see them in this picture.
(Ha, also perched on a bistro table and matching chairs from Ikea! And the vase? Ikea, of course.)
So tell me, what’s your favourite Ikea purchase?
I was just at Ikea this morning and c’était pas mal vide! It was actually kind of sad!
My current favourite Ikea purchase is our new white leather couch. White, you say? With four little kids? It cleans up amazingly well. And is super soft.
Hey, if Beloved gets sick -or “accidentally” hit by a navy Chevy Uplander with a Quebec license plate- let me know and I’ll be your date! 😉
“or “accidentally†hit by a navy Chevy Uplander with a Quebec license plate”
Bwahahaha, I just called Beloved to tell him to be extra careful on the way home from the CEGEP tonight! Crazy Amy’s on a mission!!
I can’t pick just one favourite Ikea purchase.
I have couches, beds, a desk, lamps, dishes, pots, cutlery, toy bins, toys, bedding, blinds, rugs, candles, vases, office storage, wall shelves, storage shelves, TV units and a bunch of miscellaneous odds and ends for the kitchen, bathroom and office.
Evey thing in my house is pretty much Ikea (with the exception of clothes – so far) and I love everything equally.
I am so excited for the new opening, the only problem with the old Ottawa store was that I would have to travel to Montreal or Toronto to get the items I wanted. Now, I will no longer have to do that.
My girlfriend and I will be going Monday the 12th so that we miss the weekend rush of the whole country.
YAY!!! IKEA!!!
Can’t wait to see the new store. I am kind of scared though as I am sure pretty much all of Ottawa is excited and me and crowds and not exactly best friends.
40% more efficient. that’s cool.
ah, that’s what the beautification is about. saw the ads on fb but I don’t want to give them more data on me.
we have Ikea things in two rooms, soon 3 rooms.
looking forward to the grand opening. see you in the swarm.