Meatballs for All!

San Antonio's first IKEA unveils highly anticipated opening date

IKEA assembles its first San Antonio store.

Rendering courtesy of IKEA

Pull out those tiny screwdrivers — IKEA is officially coming to town. The Swedish furniture purveyor will officially open its Live Oak store, the first in San Antonio, on February 13, 2019.

The store opens to the public at 9 am, but customers may begin lining up at the Live Oak locale as early as 5 am to be one of the first to see the mammoth 289,000-square-foot space, according to a release. Fans of the brand can expect the same architectural design and signature blue and yellow exterior that accompanies all IKEA stores, including its other five locations in Texas.

In what truly seems a remarkable feat, the February 13 opening date is actually earlier than originally expected. When the brand first announced it was coming to Alamo City, it projected a summer 2019 opening. Earlier this year, IKEA updated the launch to the first quarter of 2019.

“We are happy with the construction progress at the future Live Oak store, and are confident we will be ready to open our doors by February,” said Diedre Goodchild, store manager, in a release. “We look forward to recruiting and training the new co-workers joining the IKEA family, as well as sharing the IKEA experience with customers in the San Antonio area.”

Among the incentives promised by the Swedish company was 500 construction jobs and 250 IKEA store employee positions, some of which are still available.

The store on Interstate 35 and Loop 1604 will include more than 10,000 items, multiple room-setting features, three model home interiors, a children's playscape, and, of course, a cafeteria-style restaurant serving up those famous Swedish meatballs.

Following the initial grand opening hoopla, IKEA Live Oak is open Monday-Saturday from 10 am-10 pm and Sunday from 11 am-8 pm. The restaurant opens Monday-Saturday from 9:30 am-9:30 pm and Sunday from 10:30 am-7:30 pm.

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Mini Meatballs

Central Texas city gets new type of IKEA store with 'local' priorities

IKEA

An Ikea trip doesn't always need to be a huge excursion.

People in San Marcos will be getting their own "new format" IKEA store designed for a smaller city, according to a press release. It'll be 35,000 square feet — that may sound big, but IKEAs are often around 300,000 square feet.

The store will open this spring at the San Mar Plaza shopping center (917 SH-80 N.), and it'll be the ninth IKEA unit in Texas. It should be easy to find, since the release says it's "accessible off SH-80, and visible from IH-35."

Ikea's loyal following is generally thanks to its relative budget-friendliness and practical design. In San Marcos, more local sensibilities will be introduced, although it isn't clear exactly what that will mean for how the store is curated. The release promises "local living solutions, tailored to local preferences that reflect the unique everyday needs of the San Marcos community."

That'll be reflected in the store's 2,500 products on the sales floor, 2,000 of which will be immediately available. Everything will be available to order for home delivery or pickup. There will also be a chance to enjoy some of the store's Swedish Food Market finds, presumably including the famous meatballs.

This isn't the first small store in the Austin area, but the one at The Domain (3306 Esperanza Crossing) is really tiny at only 5,010 square feet. It's designed for placing and picking up orders, rather than browsing and then taking something home. The San Marcos store sounds more like a regular IKEA, but smaller.

"The opening of IKEA San Marcos exemplifies our strategy of developing smaller, more accessible urban store formats in this journey towards a more connected and accessible IKEA experience for the many," said IKEA U.S. CEO and chief sustainability officer Javier Quiñones.

The release discusses a commitment to adding "customer meeting points and locations that complement each other," plus e-commerce and service improvements. Overall, IKEA seems to be presenting a goal of greater diversity and accessibility in its shopping experience.

san marcos ikea shopping home design