Ikea

This is Jessica's final week of school. She only has 1/2 days because of exams, they test 2 class periods a day. Today she was finished at 9:30am because her 1st and 2nd periods are both harp. So, what exciting thing do you think we did??? We went and checked out the new Ikea store here in Tampa.


I had noticed this store being constructed as I would drive to get Jessica from school. I had never heard of Ikea and I must admit, to my husband's amusement, I thought it was a new car dealership. If you have never been to this store, it is a must see. It has everything. Or, as Jessica calls it, "This is the store that never ends."

Even the parking lot is impressive. They have "family friendly parking". When you enter the store they have a play area for children. You are given a pager and may leave your children there for 30 minutes. I didn't take advantage of that service. I am wary of leaving my children with people I don't know. Jessica wanted to stay and play in the magical forest, but she did not meet the height requirement - she was to tall. We later found out that 30 minutes was not a long enough time period to leave your children. You would only be able to venture 15 minutes into the store, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, and then 15 minutes to hike back out. No, not long enough at all.

Next time I go, I will have to take my camera. Samuel loved the children's bed section. He climbed into every bed, snuggled under the covers and said, "Night, Night." I dutifully followed behind him remaking the beds as I went.

I loved their ideas for compact kitchens. I liked their model 260square foot house as well. That was not for me, but if someone didn't mind living in tiny space, it was pretty impressive.

They even had a restaurant.......with healthy food.......and it wasn't very expensive.

I can't believe that I left the store without buying anything. My fingers did start to itch a little passing through some of the sections, but I resisted. I did get a frantic desire to remodel our bathroom. I also found a kitchen sink that I loved.If you get the opportunity to go window shopping in this store, do so. Allow plenty of time however. We spent little over an hour. We stopped in the children's section to let Sam check it out and then a little while in the children's bedroom section so Samuel could test drive some of the beds. But, other than that we just walked through the store - briskly. Allow at least 15 minutes to locate the exit.

Because it truly is.......THE STORE THAT NEVER ENDS!!!!

Sally-Ann