If the idea of spending an afternoon hunting down a Poäng chair brings about a sudden angina attack, IKEA will soon have an alternative. The Swedish flat-pack superstore is opening its scaled-back San Marcos store at 929 SH-80 N on July 16.
Via a release, the retailer calls its ninth Texas unit a "small city store," designed around "local living solutions." Assumably, some of the merchandise will be tailored to dorm gear for students at Texas State University.
The approximately 35,000 square foot store will be about the 10th the size of IKEAs biggest boxes, which often offer 300,000 square feet of argument-starting home goods. Around 2,000 products will be available for immediate purchase, along with a curated selection of Swedish Food Market goodies.
"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 Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA U.S., in an earlier statement.
Industry news site Retail Dive says that the smaller IKEAs are part of a strategy to bring IKEA's offerings to more urban areas, where the company's warehouse-style outlets may not find real estate. The chain is also opening a smaller format store in Dallas' University Park neighborhood in 2025.
The grand opening celebration kicks off at 7 am before the store opens at 9 am. Festivities will include giveaways, free plushies for the first 100 kids, and a live performance from the San Marcos High School Mariachi Band. Maybe they know a few ABBA songs?
Of course, San Antonio has a nearer IKEA outpost, a mega-store off Interstate 35 in Live Oak, but many San Antonians may choose to keep driving a few more minutes to avoid walking through a cheery blue and yellow labyrinth.
"Now you can enjoy IKEA and our inspiring home design with less hassle," notes Keena Garcia, Market Manager, IKEA U.S., via the release. "IKEA San Marcos brings our signature styles closer to the community in a new way — making it more accessible, more convenient, and of course, more affordable."
