Inspired by the news of IKEA's impending $9.99 Kraftskiva blowout celebration (or Crayfish Party, as it's called in these parts), we would like to take a moment to herald the unsung delights of IKEA's edible offerings. While it may not be your first thought for destination dining, the food at IKEA is more than serviceable—it's even pleasurable. more ›

Remember when IKEA was trying to woo Red Hook with all those promises about being such a great neighbor? Well, the honeymoon's over. At a Community Board 6 meeting last Thursday night, the Swedish retailer came down hard on a DOT plan to install a bike lane that would run four measly blocks on Columbia Street from Bay Street, onto Halleck and Beard Streets. "It seems dangerous to officially encourage bikes to the front of IKEA," intoned IKEA Manager Mike Baker, whom one member of the transportation committee described as "confrontational." more ›

As part of their latest ad campaign, IKEA has furnished the Metro stations in Paris. Off the top of our heads we can think of a few reasons why this would be a horrible idea in New York City (bed bugs, theft, all sorts of bodily fluids soaking into the seat cushions)—but at the same time, it does look pretty cool. [via Fresh Home] more ›

A wealthy Icelandic couple is being sued for installing a cheap Ikea kitchen in their Gramercy Park Hotel pad. According to the Daily News, Jon Asgeir Johannesson and Ingibjorg Palmadottir own two apartments in the building, a full-floor co-op and the duplex penthouse above it. The duo rented out the 16th floor to the Paramount Realty Group last year, and now that group is suing them for $52,000, in part because of the "ugly kitchen." more ›

Ladies and Gentleman, the "Nääpper". [via Laura Holder] more ›

The B61 has a lot of unhappy customers — something the NYC Transit folks are very well aware of, as they plan to split the line next year. But before the B62 takes to the streets, there will surely be more trash talk and theories dispensed by the disgruntled masses. The latest comes to us from a reader, who think IKEA's stellar facilities are to blame for the buses backup problems. He writes:

I was surprised that when leaving IKEA yesterday, four B61 buses were either parked or weren't taking passengers until I finally got on the 5th bus. Of course the bus was so late we made every stop until the following B61 finally passed us. I'm all for bus drivers getting a break, but it appears they all run into IKEA to use the bathroom and take a bit too long of a break. For a bus line this horrendous, you would think multiple drivers would know they shouldn't all break at the same time. Are IKEA's accomodations to blame?

The big bad Big Box IKEA is the latest to ostracize breastfeeding moms from their establishment. One Brooklyn mom tells her recent story of being banished to the bathroom when she tried to feed her 6 1/2 month old something other than Swedish meatballs at the store:

On Wednesday I was in IKEA Red Hook in the middle of breastfeeding, fully covered, when I was told I had to stop doing "that" and go to the nearby family bathroom. The IKEA employee and security guards were extremely rude to us. I was hustled off to the bathroom and then had to wait because someone else was using it. I was humiliated, my daughter was upset from being interrupted in the middle of her feed. When eventually I gave up and headed for the car to finish feeding, the security guards who had seen the entire event insisted on checking my receipts. I'm putting together a formal complaint to IKEA. I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

When Red Hook residents were fighting to stop IKEA from opening up in their neighborhood, one of the deal-sweeteners offered by the Swedish retailer was a promise that locals (and all New Yorkers) would be able to take advantage of free Water Taxi service back and forth to Manhattan, even if they never spent a dime in the store. Well, it's been just over a year since the grand opening, and already the bait has been switched. The Brooklyn Paper reports that on weekdays the Water Taxi will start charging riders $5 each way, unless they spend $10 in IKEA. Manager Mike Baker says, "We have implemented this policy because our customers are using the Water Taxi service, but the cost is such that we cannot continue subsidizing it during the week as a commuter service for those who are not IKEA customers." Compare that with last summer, when an IKEA rep said, "We support mass transit, and if people are using our services and not going to IKEA, that's fine with us as well." Now they tell us the Water Taxi service will still be free on the weekends, but how can anyone ever trust Sweden again? more ›

Attention B61 riders and IKEA shoppers, Curbed reports that the bus line may be splitting up in the future. They say the line "will be split into two routes in an effort to improve service. One line run from Red Hook to Downtown Brooklyn, and the other from Downtown Brooklyn to LIC (dubbed the B62). The change would reportedly go into effect in January 2010 if it gets approved by the MTA." We spoke to Paul Fleuranges at NYC Transit and he confirmed the news, saying, "We have in fact had discussions with the community on rationalizing this route in the hopes of providing more consistent and efficient service for our customers while maintaining a high degree of operational reliability." Just like what parents say before you suddenly get two Christmases. more ›

New Yorkers have been taking full advantage of the freebies offered by those friendly Swedes in Red Hook, where the city's first IKEA location opened in 2008. Their free buses and Water Taxi service have long been enjoyed by the locals, many of whom use the services without even stepping foot in the store, just to get from the subway to their homes/methadone clinics. Another popular free service is IKEA's in-store daycare center, where you can unload any minor from 36 inches to 50 inches in height. The catch? You must collect them within 45 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends. Staten Island mom Jean Taylor tells the Daily News, "I love it. I wish you could leave them here for two hours." The kids get the use of a ball pit and an arts and crafts station, while the parents get time to lounge around on the furniture in air-conditioned comfort. But those Swedes insist they're not chumps; IKEA spokeswoman Lorna Montalvo says, "The parents who come back over and over again know what's on sale." And surely they'll buy something someday? more ›

The free IKEA shuttle buses that transport passengers between the Swedish furniture giant’s Red Hook store and three nearby subway stops have been slapped with over 50 safety violations since November! State inspectors cited infractions ranging from broken headlights and worn tires to unlicensed drivers; in one case they ordered a bus driver to immediately terminate service after noticing that both rear emergency exits were broken and wouldn’t open. (Maybe they just weren't assembled correctly?) IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth says he was "surprised" to hear about the violations, which each carry a maximum fine of $5,000. The company has a contract with Corporate Express, based in Gravesend, to operate the route, but that company has subcontracted out to others. Corporate Express lawyer Arthur Miller tells the Daily News this is essentially a witch hunt (just like The Crucible!) orchestrated by the Red Hook locals who've long opposed IKEA: "The fact is, [state inspectors] were called. And any agent will tell you they can always find something wherever they go." more ›

Well, we had a good run. Brooklyn commuters who've been enjoying a free ride on the IKEA Water Taxi that runs between Red Hook and Wall Street are going to have to make some adjustments: The Swedish retailer will be reducing hours on the service, which since June has been running every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Starting October 1st, the boat will run every 40 minutes, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. more ›

So that Red Hook IKEA seems to be doing quite well, thank you. McBrooklyn has an amusing account of check-out lines lasting well over an hour at the Swedish retailer this weekend: "We were so far back there was no way to even tell if we were in a cash only line or a credit and debit only line. People were getting pretty grumpy, let me tell you. A woman jumped ahead of us in line. When we pointed this out, she moved behind us, only to be challenged by the customer back there. She moved behind that customer, only to be berated by the next one. And so she worked her back to the back of the line, irate customer by irate customer." And don't get Lost City started on how B61 drivers have taken to hanging out at the IKEA parking lot, instead of driving their route during rush hour. more ›

The Times took Red Hook's temperature this weekend, almost two months after the dreaded IKEA -- the first in New York City -- reared its ugly blue head on the Brooklyn waterfront. And contrary to all the hand-wringing, the paper finds that the big box "turned out to be less annoying than people thought." A worker at the Van Brunt Street cafe Baked says, "Everyone was talking about it before. But now, no one talks about it anymore, which is nice. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a furniture store.” more ›

Last week there was considerable ebullience voiced by Red Hook residents who were taking full advantage of the free shuttle buses and Water Taxi service provide by IKEA. This weekend many were looking forward to “hacking” free Water Taxi to get to the food vendors’ first weekend back at the Red Hook ball fields. An IKEA rep even told the Daily News, “We are thrilled that we are providing free transit options for the people of New York to come to IKEA and to come to Red Hook. We support mass transit, and if people are using our services and not going to IKEA, that's fine with us as well." more ›

The free coach style shuttle buses that deliver riders from two Brooklyn subway stops to the new Red Hook IKEA are filling up with passengers who never set foot inside the Swedish retailer. "I'd say before one o'clock, about half the riders from Smith and Ninth Street don't even go into IKEA," one bus driver told the Daily News, adding that many riders are going to a local methodone clinic for treatment. And, as predicted, freeloaders are pulling the same move with the free Water Taxi between IKEA and lower Manhattan, an area also renowned for its methadone. more ›

Red Hook seemed eerily quiet on Saturday, as we checked out the traffic flow on Columbia and Van Brunt Streets on the West Side of the neighborhood. Any prediction of overwhelming weekend gridlock seemed not to be panning out-- except for one Ikea bus ferrying people from Boro Hall, the scene seemed as quiet and bucolic as any summer weekend in years past. Indeed, maybe even quieter, as people who'd normally be out at the Van Brunt shops were checking out the Swedish wares. Local shops seemed to realize this-- we spotted a few signs like the ones above attempting to draw people away from the store. more ›

Due to an unexpected increase in shipping through the Port of New York, the city now lacks the necessary number of dry-docks to service barges in need of maintenance, according to a recently released study by the SUNY Maritime College. The findings were announced by the city's Economic Development Corp. just as the new IKEA in Red Hook opened. The parking lot at IKEA was controversially built over one of the city’s last remaining “graving docks,” which can accommodate larger ships. more ›

The exhaustive coverage of today's Red Hook Ikea opening here and elsewhere around the web was the inevitable climax of a perfect storm of storylines: Rough-edged neighborhood with a lot of history gets another turn in the spotlight – or are those cross hairs? Has Red Hook now sacrificed too much of the charm that made its sleepy waterfront streets so appealing to artists? Or is the arrival of big retail business just what the neighborhood needs to help the lower-income locals – whose streets are hardly sleepy – rise out of poverty? more ›

While shoppers' enthusiasm for the new Brooklyn Ikea has been well documented today, opinion was decidedly mixed among residents who skipped the festivities at the new 346,000 square foot store. Jennifer Cohen, a Red Hook resident for the last eight years, voiced the most common concern, that the neighborhood's streets and buses would be overly taxed by thousands of shoppers descending on the store, which is far from the subway. more ›

Six of the twenty-two acres of land that Ikea occupies in Red Hook have been turned into a park and waterfront esplanade, built by the big box retailer as a deal-sweetener for their wary neighbors. You don’t need to buy any Swedish meatballs to hang out by the water, and the free Water Taxi service arranged by Ikea might make it an appealing weekend destination in its own right. more ›

After nearly six years of controversy, construction, worry and anticipation, the first Ikea in New York City opened in Red Hook, Brooklyn this morning. By the time the doors opened at 9:00 a.m., hundreds of shoppers had gathered on line outside the popular Swedish retailer. A festive atmosphere prevailed without any of the community dissent that had threatened to stymie the project from the beginning. more ›

Opening tomorrow as a counterpoint to the Red Hook Ikea kick-off is a photography exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library that chronicles the disappearing industrial sites along Brooklyn's waterfront. Called "Twilight on the Waterfront: Brooklyn's Vanishing Industrial Heritage," the photographs are the work of Nathan Kensinger, who has compiled an impressive body of work over the last five years by sneaking into dilapidated properties around Brooklyn. more ›

As the world waits in hushed anticipation for tomorrow morning’s grand opening of the Red Hook Ikea, many eager shoppers are agonizing over the best route in and out of the relatively inaccessible neighborhood. So Ikea has been making a big effort to lure customers and appease locals fretting about the traffic with some complimentary transportation alternatives:
• New York Water Taxi is operating free ferry service from Pier 11 in Manhattan directly to Ikea five times an hour through June 23rd, after which a somewhat less frequent schedule will be in effect.
• Ikea will be running free shuttle buses every 15 minutes from three subway stations: 4th Avenue/9th Street, Court Street/Borough Hall, and the Smith and 9th Street Station, which will unfortunately be closed for an extensive renovation at a time TBD.
• Two MTA buses, the B77 and B61, will stop directly in front of IKEA on Beard Street.

With the 346,000 square foot Ikea poised to open in Red Hook Wednesday morning, the Times fans out into the neighborhood to measure public opinion about the big Swedish store, which has come into being after vocal opposition from some local residents. The most commonly-voiced concern is about the traffic that will clog Red Hook’s streets; estimates vary from a few thousand visitors on weekdays to more than 14,000 cars a day on weekends. more ›

Starting Monday morning at 9 a.m., excited consumers will begin camping out in the parking lot under the Red Hook IKEA in anticipation of the new store’s ribbon cutting – or rather, log cutting, which is how Swedes open something according to Curbed. Now why would anyone be crazy enough to camp out for days just to shop at a store that anyone will be able visit to whenever they want? Besides walking away with a great story for the grandkids, there are the fabulous prizes to consider.
• The first 35 adults to cross the threshold into the 35th IKEA in America will receive a free EKTORP three-seat sofa.
• The next 100 adults get a free POANG armchair.
• And the first 2,500 people will be handed a random prize envelope with IKEA Gift Cards ranging from $10 to $250, or vouchers for a free cinnamon bun, hotdog or frozen yogurt.
• The first 100 children (under 18) will receive a Fanning, a soft toy in the shape of a heart.

Blogger Flatbush Pigeon recently noted the curious case of Pomegranate, the enormous new supermarket currently in its final stages of construction in Flatbush/Midwood. The food store takes the place of a kosher bakery, another store, and an auto repair shop. Giant pomegranates loom over Coney Island Avenue and Avenue L. The picture here belies the sheer size of the place—just take a look at Flatbush Pigeon’s photos. more ›

Red Hook residents who used to party at Lillie’s bar on Beard Street may be surprised to discover that right next door to the decadent nightspot was an elegant restaurant waiting to be born. What was previously storage space has been thoroughly overhauled into a French bistro called La Bouillabaisse, which owner Neil Ganic (Petite Crevette) hopes to have running in time for the June 18th grand opening of IKEA, conveniently located across the street. (Ganic formerly operated an iteration of La Bouillabaisse on Atlantic Avenue.) more ›