If you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you know how very much I love IKEA. Only trouble was, the nearest IKEA was a four hour drive away. Which meant my love of IKEA was a recipe for frustration.

Well, all of that is about to change. On Wednesday, September 30, 2015, St. Louis will welcome IKEA to the neighborhood, and my frustration will turn to bliss!

Welcome to St Louis IKEA

Can you imagine my excitement? Bookcases, shelving, closet systems, baskets, buckets, flower pots…from IKEA…now just a short 30 minute drive from home! What could be better than that?

IKEA St Louis Storage Solutions

How about a sneak peek a week before the store opens? Yep, it’s true. I literally squealed when I got the email! And today, it happened. I got to see the store in all of it’s glory before the doors open to the public.

IKEA St Louis Restaurant

Plus, I got to eat amazing Swedish food in IKEA’s cheerful, sunny restaurant.

IKEA St Louis Lunch

What’s more, I got a semi-private guided tour of the new store and I got to take along Karen Renner, an amazing St. Louis-based photographer who captured the new store in all it’s glory! I think I’m starting to come down from cloud nine…but I’m not sure. It was a pretty incredible experience. (I’ve been waiting a long time for an IKEA to open close to me.)

The good news is that you, too, will have the chance to check out the new St. Louis IKEA and very soon. The grand opening festivities begin on Wednesday, September 30th. Here’s a run-down of the planned events.

IKEA St Louis Grand Opening

Wednesday, September 30, 2015
On opening day, the first 41 adults (18 & older) in IKEA St. Louis will receive a free EKTORP three-seat sofa, in honor of IKEA’s 41st U.S. store. (Here’s a little tip to increase your chances – you can start camping out on Monday morning! OMG. Tell me if you do!) Don’t worry if you aren’t one of the first 41…if you’re in the next batch of 100 adults (18 & older) you will receive a free POÄNG armchair. And, because IKEA loves kids so much, the first 100 children (17 & younger) will receive a free FAMNIG heart-shaped soft toy. But the fun doesn’t stop there! The first 2,500 adults (18 & older) will receive a random prize envelope with IKEA Gift Cards ranging from $10 to $250, or a “Buy One, Get One Free” cinnamon bun, hotdog or frozen yogurt voucher.

If you can’t make it on September 30th, the fun continues all week long, including a chance to win a $1,000 gift certificate. (Oh the fun I could have with that!) As part of IKEA’s “Enter our Home, Enter to Win” promotion, from September 30 through October 4, 2015, visitors to IKEA St. Louis may enter a drawing to win one of ten $1,000 IKEA Gift Cards through the IKEA FAMILY loyalty program. IKEA is matching the prizes (a total of $10,000) with a donation to HealthWorks St. Louis, a nearby interactive health education museum for kids opening in 2016. So cool, right?

Here’s the scoop on the rest of the IKEA St. Louis Grand Opening Festivities:

Thursday, October 1, 2015
The first 41 adults (18 & older) in IKEA St. Louis on Thursday, October 1, 2015 will receive a free queen-sized SULTAN HALLEN mattress. The next 100 adults (18 & older) in IKEA St. Louis on Thursday, October 1, 2015 will receive a gift card for the equivalent of free Zone 1 home delivery for purchases on that day. Plus, this would also be a great day to shop with your kids at IKEA because children 12 & under eat for free at IKEA St. Louis on Thursday, October 1, 2015.

IKEA St Louis Pastries

Friday, October 2, 2015

The theme for Friday’s festivities is food. (And I can vouch for how yummy IKEA’s food is!) So how about getting Meatballs for a Year? If you’re one of the first 41 adults (one per immediate family) in IKEA St. Louis on Friday, October 2, 2015 you will receive a voucher for a monthly meatball meal for a family of four at IKEA St. Louis’ Restaurant. The next 41 adults (18 & older) in IKEA St. Louis on Friday, October 2, 2015 will receive a Swedish Food Shopping Spree. And the first 100 children (17 & under) in IKEA St. Louis on Friday, October 2, 2015 will receive a voucher for a soft-serve frozen yogurt available that day at the IKEA St. Louis’ Exit Bistro.

I have so much more to share about the store, favorite finds, etc. but wanted to get the Grand Opening details out to you ASAP! Good luck getting one of those freebies and be sure to check out Karen Renner’s work on her website and Facebook. She took all of the photos in this post, so if you need a photographer in the St. Louis area, Karen is your gal!

Happy shopping!

Aby