The line for the new Miami-Dade IKEA has been in place for two days and boasts tents, fans, and a lot of IKEA passion.
The Swedish store’s location, adjacent to Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater, will start selling it’s affordable, assemble-yourself, modern furniture. At 416,000 square feet, the store will be the second largest in the country and also have Florida’s biggest solar panel array on its roof.
Tony Grandson got to IKEA at 5 a.m. on Monday. As the first person in line of about 40 people, he has a chance to win bragging rights and a brand new sofa.
“I've been going to the one over there in Ft. Lauderdale and it’s just been so far,” Grandson says. “So I’ve had to spend less because of the gas and all of that stuff. So now I have something that's not even 5, 10 minutes away from me."
Grandson will be the first shopper allowed into the store Wednesday at 9 a.m., making it the 39th IKEA in the country.
Selwyn Crittendon is the manager of the store. He will oversee the 350 employees in yellow shirts who make the store function.
"We've been waiting and anticipating and finally we can have a IKEA in Miami-Dade county," he says.
