StreetLevel: Hook IKEA Opening Soon

Bring on the MEATBALLS!!!

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:01 PM

Technically, it's not in New York City. Since the city part is only Manhattan.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:04 PM

Ikea Cool! 3:04 is a meathead ignoramus, show not what you don't know and go back to work.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:14 PM

brooklyn has more people in it so it wins by defult.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:15 PM

It is gonna be nuts when this place opens. I will wait at least a few months for the madness to die down.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:19 PM

get out my way or Ikea

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:26 PM

96 dead. 15 April 98. YNWA

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:27 PM

I really admire the way the designed to their building design to suit Brooklyn rather than just building their standard blue + yellow suburban box.

Here's a through. If nobody shops there, maybe it will just go away.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:53 PM

What would have fit that area of Brooklyn better? A sagging, rusting pile of debris?

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 3:57 PM

3:53 I can see the building (and huge IKEA lettering) from my apartment in Greenwood Heights. It's standard blue box. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...)

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 4:21 PM

Hey 3:53

Name 1, just 1, national corporate chain that has "designed to their building design to suit Brooklyn" .

I agree its ugly and generic but what do they owe us?

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 4:27 PM

Sayonara, Red Hook.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 4:34 PM

4:27 - here's 2 = Commerce Bank - 5th Avenue - Eckerd Drugs Smith St

As for 3:53's wish that people wont shop there - dream on - say hello to the #1 Ikea in the Western Hemisphere (even though I predict the employees will be on par with 99% of all Brooklyn retail employees = horrible - no matter what the training)

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 4:36 PM

4:36. I hardly consider those ~redesigns~. They are still generic, cookie cutter and bland copies of the Commerce Banks and Eckerds all over.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 4:47 PM

4:47 - don't be an ass, what do you want - every retail store to be a Woolworth Building? - those retailers designed their stores to suit Brooklyn's urban streetscape - thats what you asked for and those are 2 examples.

It has been done (not saying Ikea should or shouldnt have) and will be done again and you should praise the Cos that do it, instead of being a bitter critic like all the other bland cookie cutter people who do the same regarding everything in Brownstone Brooklyn.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 4:53 PM

I live in Red Hook - and this is by the far the worst thing to happen our neighborhood yet! i hope it burns to the ground!

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:07 PM

I see this ikea as a perfect place to take my children on a dreary, freezing winter day. they have great play areas and fabulous meatballs!

Cheap, good-looking wooden garden furniture is also an advantage. I wonder it we'll be able to pick up kitchen cabinets there or still have to drive to NJ for that...

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:10 PM

5:07:
Really? Worse than the Gowanus Expressway that cut the neighborhood off from the rest of South Brooklyn? Worse than the loss of (almost) all shipping from the Red Hook Waterfront? Worse than the project being erected there? Worse than the school Principal who was gunned down there in broad daylight?
Yeah, a business that employs hundreds & pays taxes stinks.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:16 PM

This will indeed be the highest grossing Ikea in the United States.

I can GUARANTEE you that!

F*ck all the naysayers. They clearly don't get laid enough that they'd complain about something opening in a neighborhood they never set foot in anyway.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:16 PM

THIS WILL DESTROY THE RUSTIC CHARM THAT IS RED HOOK. I second '5:07' sentiments. Let IKEA burn like the abandoned cars of Beard St. It still blows my mind how this has happened. Anyone who has ever ridden a bike, driven a car around or walked the streets of Red Hook knows the infrastructure is not ready for what is coming.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:18 PM

Rustic Charm that is Red Hook? We are in the largest metropolis in the country!

Go to Hastings on Hudson if you want real rustic charm.

You are looking in the WRONG place for it in this one industrial borough of 2.5 million people dude.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:28 PM

The traffic will be insane.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:37 PM

Take the bus.

You know...like you'd do to go to the Ikea in New Jersey anyway.

500 new jobs in Brooklyn and droves of Manhattanites discovering Brooklyn..what a TRAVESTY!!!!!

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:41 PM

5:28... get over the 'rustic' term

The fact is the infrastructure is not ready for what is coming. No matter what your view is of what the 'industrial borough' of brooklyn should be. This project was poorly planned and will have a negative impact on a neighborhood that has gotten the short end of the stick for a long time.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:41 PM

So the unused wasteland that was there before was helping Red Hook more than a shot in the arm of new jobs and taxes?

Please explain.

And btw, if you've been over there lately you'd know that they've made substantial improvements in the roads to and from this store and done a GORGEOUS job landscaping what was a pretty ugly parcel of land before this.

It's called...making the most of the situation. Red Hook, as someone already said has been cut off from the rest of the borough. Unless you'd like to singlehandedly remove the Gowanus Expressway, then how about you embrace one of the few good things to happen in Red Hook lately.

And YOU are the person who used the word "rustic." To describe a neighborhood you go to what...once a month to buy your groceries?

Please.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 5:55 PM

it'll be hard to take the bus in or out of Red Hook when the streets are CLOGGED with cars.

If they made a bus only street, like Richards or Dwight that would be better. People in the neighborhood rely on the bus to get to their jobs. Unless IKEA is going to employ us all, we need to have consistent transportation.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 6:14 PM

ATTENTION 5:55...

INFRASTRUCTURE... BAD PLANNING... GET IT

repaving roads/removing cobble stones does not ready Red Hook for the traffic and congestion.

You are the same person who would think that the atlantic yards project is a good idea.

BY THE WAY... I LIVE THERE!

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 6:15 PM

"This project was poorly planned and will have a negative impact on a neighborhood that has gotten the short end of the stick for a long time."

"BY THE WAY... I LIVE THERE!"

No you don't.

You would have said so and not said "a" neighborhood you would have said my neighborhood.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 6:22 PM

"This project was poorly planned and will have a negative impact on a neighborhood that has gotten the short end of the stick for a long time."

"BY THE WAY... I LIVE THERE!"

No you don't.

You would have said so and not said "a" neighborhood you would have said my neighborhood.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 6:23 PM

6:23

funny thing is

YES I DO!

'a' neighborhood

'the' neighborhood

'my' neighborhood

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 6:35 PM

big box car culture is invading new york city. that sucks.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 6:36 PM

now I know where I'm going when I have to move my car for an hour and a half for alt side street parking. I'm throwing the kid in the "ballroom" and getting a nice cuppa and apple cake.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 7:06 PM

7 years from now. van brunt st. predictions? same traffic patterns? better? worse? more small business's? more vacant storefronts? more yuppies? more hipsters? more hookers? always can use more hookers. another mega natl tennant?

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 7:51 PM

Only a company like IKEA would open AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. They're so on the ball. A brilliant company, no matter what you may think of its location, its product quality, its taste. I just can't get over the fact that -- they're opening EARLY.

Love it.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 8:08 PM

To the first poster. New York City consists of 5 Boroughs, Manhattan and Brooklyn being two of them. Do you even know the other three? New York City is not only Manhattan.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 8:10 PM

Make that the second poster. I love meatballs.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 8:12 PM

Bring Your Own Blue Bags. They don't give them out any longer. Can't wait.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 8:18 PM

This building was a poor choice for the waterfront. It could have been built somewhere without a view. The power brokers don't care, they see all of brooklyn as a wasteland. waterfront? what waterfront? There is no ocean view in brooklyn.
Just a lot of poor people and chop-shops. give the peasants an ikea and they will rejoice.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 9:09 PM

I can't wait! Though I'm betting the employees will suck, like most retail employees in NYC. Can't be any worse than Target--the absolute worst managed store around. Empty shelves, help which know nothing. Ridiculous. They should get some tips from the employees and management at Trader Joe's. Lovely-can't wait for the one in Brooklyn to open.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 10:38 PM

I also live in the area and the infrastructure is not updated enough to handle the amount of traffic that this place will attract. Several people have already been hit on Van Brunt due to poor planning with the Fairway traffic. I was over by the Ikea site the other day and it is a disaster waiting to happen. Terrible planning with total disregard for the community that lives around it. This project was done too fast, with no thought about how it would affect the lives of people in the neighborhood or the historic waterfront it sits on. The cobble stones are still loose, and there are too few stoplights. This is not the right place, or the right time, for Ikea.

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 11:36 PM

10:38 agree completely. I guess the corporate offices must look the other way when all that $$$ starts rolling in. Why must I over hear the F word every time I check out?

Posted by: guest at April 16, 2008 11:39 PM

Im glad they are opening up. The wife is already talking about getting a new kitchen from them.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 6:17 AM

"Bring Your Own Blue Bags. They don't give them out any longer. Can't wait."

No, now you can buy them for 69 cents.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 6:50 AM

To the Red Hook resident...umm sorry. Did it ever occur to you that you live in a vast area of nothing right now? Now infrastructure, no transportation, etc. Ikea saw the opportunity like so many other recent entities like Fairway that actually pose such an initial risk. Do you even have half the ability to take on this risk? What do you do for Red Hook or Brooklyn..live there? Is it because you actualyl can't afford to live elsewhere? Or, do you like being a hermit.

Oh and for post #2 about Brooklyn not being in the City...Fuck off.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 7:46 AM

I live in Red Hook and was heavily involved in the campaign opposing Ikea (e.g. public hearing, the lawsuit etc). As a lawyer, I felt it was neccessary to change tact once it became clearly that Ikea was coming Thusly, I and some of my neighbors began negotiating for infrastructure improvements and more public amenities. Unfortunately, our efforts were undercut by the staunch anti-Ikea crowd (Mr. Moustache) and lampooned by the crazy hipster dufus goonies. It got really ugly. At one point, the head of the Red Hook Civic told one of the reformers that she better move out of the Red Hook or something will happend to her kids! Nice, right? It seems Ikea killed civility in the Red Hook along time ago.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 10:02 AM

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.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 11:45 AM

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.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 11:49 AM

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.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 1:58 PM

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.

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 7:02 PM

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

Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 7:03 PM

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!)).

Posted by: guest at April 22, 2008 8:35 PM

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!)).

Posted by: guest at April 22, 2008 8:35 PM

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!)).

Posted by: guest at April 22, 2008 8:35 PM