StreetLevel: Hook IKEA Opening Soon
Today Racked broke the news that the Red Hook Ikea is opening earlier than expected. I-Day is now June 18th, whereas earlier reports said the opening would be in late summer. A press release from the company says it’s still hiring and training the approximately 500 employees that will work at the 346,000-square-foot store, the…
Today Racked broke the news that the Red Hook Ikea is opening earlier than expected. I-Day is now June 18th, whereas earlier reports said the opening would be in late summer. A press release from the company says it’s still hiring and training the approximately 500 employees that will work at the 346,000-square-foot store, the first IKEA in New York City.
Red Hook Ikea Opening June 18 [Racked]
Photo by neotint.
Let me first admit that I’ve only been to Red Hook once. I took the B77 over to explore the glory that is said to be found in Fairway (NOT!).
I don’t drive so honestly I couldn’t give two sh*ts about street surface quality (Have you ever ridden some of the Brooklyn buses? The way some bus drivers navigate those narrow streets its a bumpy ride regardless of the ‘hood you’re in).
I’m not an environmental analyst or whatever you have to be to properly evaluate the impact IKEA will have over there. What I do know is that I’m poorer than the poorest poor person in Poorville (ok, slight exaggeration) and I’ll be wearing a sh*t eating grin whilst I ride the public transportation to Red Hook (as opposed to schlepping to Jersey – yuk) to get some cheap goods. Nope, it’s not the best quality stuff, but it’s what I and a lot other Brooklynites in my tax bracket can afford.
Every built-up ‘hood had its start somewhere and surely wasn’t already outfitted with the proper ‘infrastructure’ blah blah blah. Maybe IKEA can breathe some life into what I saw to be a wasteland (sorry Red Hook residents) and the ‘infrastructure’ and whatever else you feel is necessary to support the traffic etc. will soon follow. Bitch and moan all you want (go ahead, make a reservation – Bitter, party of one!) but Red Hook, with its available space prime for the picking, will in time be built up to look like other arguably more established sections of
Brooklyn.
The anger at the company is pointless. Don’t like it? Don’t shop there (hey, no one will force you to buy the 100 pack of tealights for $3 – though you must admit that price makes you feel as good as sex on a Tuesday night (read AWESOME BONUS!)).
Let me first admit that I’ve only been to Red Hook once. I took the B77 over to explore the glory that is said to be found in Fairway (NOT!).
I don’t drive so honestly I couldn’t give two sh*ts about street surface quality (Have you ever ridden some of the Brooklyn buses? The way some bus drivers navigate those narrow streets its a bumpy ride regardless of the ‘hood you’re in).
I’m not an environmental analyst or whatever you have to be to properly evaluate the impact IKEA will have over there. What I do know is that I’m poorer than the poorest poor person in Poorville (ok, slight exaggeration) and I’ll be wearing a sh*t eating grin whilst I ride the public transportation to Red Hook (as opposed to schlepping to Jersey – yuk) to get some cheap goods. Nope, it’s not the best quality stuff, but it’s what I and a lot other Brooklynites in my tax bracket can afford.
Every built-up ‘hood had its start somewhere and surely wasn’t already outfitted with the proper ‘infrastructure’ blah blah blah. Maybe IKEA can breathe some life into what I saw to be a wasteland (sorry Red Hook residents) and the ‘infrastructure’ and whatever else you feel is necessary to support the traffic etc. will soon follow. Bitch and moan all you want (go ahead, make a reservation – Bitter, party of one!) but Red Hook, with its available space prime for the picking, will in time be built up to look like other arguably more established sections of
Brooklyn.
The anger at the company is pointless. Don’t like it? Don’t shop there (hey, no one will force you to buy the 100 pack of tealights for $3 – though you must admit that price makes you feel as good as sex on a Tuesday night (read AWESOME BONUS!)).
Let me first admit that I’ve only been to Red Hook once. I took the B77 over to explore the glory that is said to be found in Fairway (NOT!).
I don’t drive so honestly I couldn’t give two sh*ts about street surface quality (Have you ever ridden some of the Brooklyn buses? The way some bus drivers navigate those narrow streets its a bumpy ride regardless of the ‘hood you’re in).
I’m not an environmental analyst or whatever you have to be to properly evaluate the impact IKEA will have over there. What I do know is that I’m poorer than the poorest poor person in Poorville (ok, slight exaggeration) and I’ll be wearing a sh*t eating grin whilst I ride the public transportation to Red Hook (as opposed to schlepping to Jersey – yuk) to get some cheap goods. Nope, it’s not the best quality stuff, but it’s what I and a lot other Brooklynites in my tax bracket can afford.
Every built-up ‘hood had its start somewhere and surely wasn’t already outfitted with the proper ‘infrastructure’ blah blah blah. Maybe IKEA can breathe some life into what I saw to be a wasteland (sorry Red Hook residents) and the ‘infrastructure’ and whatever else you feel is necessary to support the traffic etc. will soon follow. Bitch and moan all you want (go ahead, make a reservation – Bitter, party of one!) but Red Hook, with its available space prime for the picking, will in time be built up to look like other arguably more established sections of
Brooklyn.
The anger at the company is pointless. Don’t like it? Don’t shop there (hey, no one will force you to buy the 100 pack of tealights for $3 – though you must admit that price makes you feel as good as sex on a Tuesday night (read AWESOME BONUS!)).
Okay…like many…GASP!… We have bought quite a bit of stuff at IKEA over the years (Expedit storage units with plexi-drawers in the dressing room, outdoor furniture, impulsively bought housewares/cookware, cheap glass plates and stemware for parties a couple of lighting fixtures and two stools).
Most of it turned out to be junky…but some of it has held up. I have to admit that the biggest plus is that it is very cheap…and easy because we pass one on I-95 (New Haven) constantly.
BUT, at what cost these cheap prices? Is IKEA that sustainable and are the products made in any kind of “fair trade” way… Granted…maybe everything is not being made in Chinese labor camps/factories like the junk at Target and many other stores…
But, I still wonder if IKEA worries too much about the companies it outsources from.
Plus, a lot of the furniture probably outgases. Has anyone looked into this?
Some of the things we’ve bought from IKEA have held up…sort of…they don’t get much heavy use. The packaging is minimal/compact so more sustainable than other companies…but frankly, the flimsiness, and the thus shorter life cycle, and the cheaper prices along with their PR/Communications campaigns end up pushing massive volumes of junk we probably don’t need.
In the end, I look at the catalogue saying to myself…”Hhh…oh…I guess that’s kidn of cute” and am usually disappointed when I see it up close. I regret that some of their kickier designs, housewares and textiles are of such low quality. I would gladly pay twice the amount for some of their designs if the were better made and built to hold up.
TheGrammarLady
I agree that they really should fix the roads in Red Hook before they let this place open. Traffic is better down here now that they finally put in a couple of traffic lights, but driving around Red Hook is mildly terrifying as trucks drive down the middle of Van Brunt at blistering speeds and all other major streets are covered in potholes or patches of cobblestones.
On top of it all, there are cops positioned near the entrance to Van Brunt to direct traffic all the time! I mean, 11 am on a Tuesday, and people don’t know where they’re driving… without better signage, speed checks, parking enforcement, etc., Ikea’s opening will be a nightmare traffic-wise.
Looks like it’s time to move.
So does that mean Lowe’s customer service will only get worse, that would be impossible. If you think Target is bad try Lowe’s.
I was chatting with a courteous asnd efficient cashier at Lowe’s in Gowanus over the weekend. She informed me that many Lowe’s employees are leaving to work at Ikea. She, however, will be staying at Lowe’s.
7:46 AM
I think you hit the nail on the head. There is a large group of Red Hookers that view the neighborhood as some kind of a groovy hermitage where only certain kinds of people and commerce are welcome.
There’s a reason that DMV does its road tests in Red Hook, and the auto and truck schools give their lessons there: because there’s no traffic! The area is a ghost town, and frankly could use a little more activity.