Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Ikea Red Hook: Excited Consumers Assemble
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 16, 2008
Modified Jun 16, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 16, 2008
Modified Jun 16, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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.
Some residents like musician Naren Budhka predict that the neighborhood “will change for the worse” starting Wednesday; others, like bike shop owner German Mendez, give Ikea points for opening a new six acre esplanade with over 9,000 plants. Alan Mukamal, a community board activist, tells Time Out NY that “people aren’t going to ‘make a day of it’ and visit other stores in the area. Ikea is a time-consuming shopping experience and Red Hook is just something you drive through to get to it.”
However, some consumers are already ‘making a day of it’ – and a couple nights, too – by camping out at the store to win some fame and prizes. Racked has talked blogger Adam Robb into lining up with them, and he’s been blogging from the scene, reporting on the poor condition of the porta potties and the appearance of an easel for a possible game of Hangman! A blogger from amNY is also at the store and reveals that the first two people on line are father-daughter duo Sanchez and Brandice Jay, who last winter won $100 for dressing up as holiday packages at the Ikea in Paramus, N.J and are not ashamed to admit it.
And for the Red Hook Ikea completist, the Times also goes behind the scenes on the Ikea commercial featuring the assembly of a Brooklyn Bridge model out of cardboard Ikea boxes.
Photo courtesy rsguskind.
Tagged
brooklyn
contest
ikea
line
new york
news
opening
red hook
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .