Canton, Mich. — Swedish tradition replaced a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday as a log was sawed in half to signify the opening of Ikea, the Swedish furniture company.
The line to enter Ikea, 41640 Ford Road, wrapped around the 311,000-square foot building Wednesday morning, but it moved fast as people rushed through the doors when the store opened at 9 a.m.
Ikea employees stood at the entrance handing the first 5,000 customers manila envelopes with vouchers inside, containing anything from a "buy one get one free" hot dog to a $250 gift card.
The Canton store is the 28th Ikea to open in the United States and 236th in the world.
"I've never been to a grand opening, and I wanted to see what it was like," said Jo Nordloh, who made the trip from Cincinnati to Canton. "And when you walked in, it was so much fun."
The first 100 customers were given a Poäng arm chair, one of Ikea's best-selling items, said Nick Coffee, an Ikea cashier.
"To my surprise not a lot of people are buying things, but are walking around and will go tell their friends," he said. "The most common question is how to get out of here."
Coffee, a student at Eastern Michigan University, said the store is designed with few windows and one elevator to keep customers inside as long as possible.
The top floor is a series of showrooms where couches, shelving and bedroom sets are arranged in individual displays, and the bottom floor is separated into departments such as lighting, rugs, cooking and a greenroom.
But of the two floors of merchandise, the most popular spot is the "As Is" section, where everything is discounted, Coffee said. That's where he has found many of the end tables and dishes for his new apartment, he said.
Coffee said he was hired April 26 and has been training 20 hours per week since then. The training included a special stress management aspect to help employees cope with the crowds.
"We actually have a quiet room upstairs (for workers). … Today we have masseuses," he said.
The new store employs more than 400 people, almost all from the Canton area, said Lisa Folkedahl, an Ikea spokeswoman.
Canton was chosen to host the newest Ikea store because it had 21 acres of undeveloped land available and was located near Interstate Highways 96 and 94, Folkedahl said. "(We) look for locations with easy access."
The Canton store opening has been anticipated for months, according to several shoppers.
"There has been a lot of interest in the community," Folkedahl said. "We're expecting a big crowd; definitely everyone's excited."
Jeremy and Katie Kleino of Rochester Hills said they were thrilled about the opening and spent their honeymoon shopping at the Ikea near Chicago in Bolingbrook, Ill.
"About 90 percent of my house is all Ikea," Katie Kleino said. "We were thinking of camping out (before the store opened), but we have a 2-year-old, so we said, 'Let's take our chances.'"
After waiting about an hour to get in, the Kleinos sat down to a meal of Swedish meatballs and the 99-cent breakfast special of eggs, potatoes and bacon at the Ikea restaurant on the second floor.
"I told my husband this morning (we) were coming to a piece of history," Toledo, Ohio, resident Julianne Boyd said, as she sat with her twin daughters at the restaurant. "It really helps seeing stuff in the showrooms, not just seeing them in catalogs."
