Suzie drove her new car, Millie, to Charlotte to go shopping at Ikea. Now, if you do not know what Ikea is, it is defined as “a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world. The company, which pioneered flat-pack design furniture at affordable prices, is now the world's largest furniture retailer.”- Thanks Wikipedia!
The mission:Drive 3 hours to Charlotte for the pure delight of shopping in a store with the best assemble yourself furniture Sweden has to offer. How could we go wrong? Oh yea, the weather was reporting snow and sleet in the areas we had to drive. How exciting!
Our journey started at about 7:00 a.m. We couldn’t function without some Starbucks (especially since one of us thought it was a smart idea to see a late movie the night before) So, we stopped in and grabbed our coffee and respective dessert and then we seriously got on the road after that. 
No road trip is complete without some good music. So, my job the night before was to make a playlist. I got a little carried away and the playlist ended up being 6 Cd's worth. Oops J, but not a problem with a six disc changer. The drive down went so quickly listening to music and talking and just having a great time.
No road trip is complete without some good music. So, my job the night before was to make a playlist. I got a little carried away and the playlist ended up being 6 Cd's worth. Oops J, but not a problem with a six disc changer. The drive down went so quickly listening to music and talking and just having a great time. 
I have to say, leaving early in the morning is a great advantage,there was no one on the road!
Every time we got to a spot where there should have been major traffic, there was none!No cars as far as the eye could see. I don’t know if it was the threat of winter weather the night before or everyone just wanted to sleep in, but hey, whatever it was awesome and we liked it!
The drive went by pretty fast with only making one potty break in Davidson County…
The drive went by pretty fast with only making one potty break in Davidson County…
By the way, the real bathrooms are closed for remodel so you only have this one building, just a little FYI for you!
We googled how to get to IKEA (no navigation system needed for those who can still read a map) and the directions were really good. We didn’t have to venture off any of the main interstates, just I40 to I85. It got a little tricky in Greensboro, but that’s why you always make sure to bring a long a co-pilot who knows what the difference between the green I85 and the blue I85 is.
We googled how to get to IKEA (no navigation system needed for those who can still read a map) and the directions were really good. We didn’t have to venture off any of the main interstates, just I40 to I85. It got a little tricky in Greensboro, but that’s why you always make sure to bring a long a co-pilot who knows what the difference between the green I85 and the blue I85 is.
Finally...we see the exit… IKEA BLVD/CITY BLVD! Suzie merged like a mad woman over to our exit, the excitement building! Once on the exit and turning left, we see it in all of its blue and yellow glory!
Suzie again driving like mad woman swooped through the parking lot! We had arrived! We made it at 10am, right when they opened (TIP:we never checked what time the store opened before we left, so it worked out, but make sure you always find out what time the store opens before you travel to it). I couldn’t control myself!
Once we went in, we stood there in complete awe (it might have been a little confusion too) as we tried to decide our plan of attack! There was an IKEA worker handling a huge bin of yellow tarps. The sign above the bin of tarps told us to take a bag, so we took a yellow tarp bag, a map and pencil and started our way up the escalator. It was like a warehouse, but not so opened and empty. When we got off the escalator we had two choices to make: go look at the rooms or go eat at the café (yes…there is a straight up café in the store). We chose shopping.We started off looking at bedroom furniture. Everything set up in the displays was available for purchase! Even the light fixtures!!! The rooms flowed with great ideas. We saw at least 5 rooms we wanted, including a fantastic library! One thing I noticed while walking the showroom: no one was walking against traffic (except for us at times.) We tried to follow the path and it took us in and out of all various rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, offices and the places where they had shelves and storage cabinets. It was nice and roomy; we never felt crowded or rushed.
The last stop on the top floor was the children’s rooms and décor. We had so much fun looking around and seeing what we could buy for our niece and nephews. There were stuffed animals, bedding, toys, cribs, lights and nightlights (by the way…I bought a chandelier in that section…it is awesome.) The only weird part was when some kid came up to me and said, “Mom, can we get these plates? I like them and I think we should get them.” I looked down at him and said, “I’m not your mom.” And he left somewhat confused to go find his mom…crazy!
We then took the steps down where there was a little bistro/bakery that smelled amazing. We found the textiles there, as well as all sorts of kitchen gadgets (Suzie stocked up), fabrics, bedding, beds, pillows, rugs, bathroom accessories, lighting, picture frames, art work, and everything else that would go in or out of a house.
The last stop before the check out was the HUGE open warehouse where you picked up your furniture, since you assemble it yourself.
By the time we got done, we were pooped. We guessed how much we thought we had spent and checked out. Each of us came in under the total we had guessed and we headed to the exiting complete awe of our first IKEA experience. It was complete and totally worth the three hour drive.
We walked back to “Millie” with big blue tarp bag in hand and smiles on our faces. We didn’t have to say anything to each other, but we both knew the other one was planning the next trip to IKEA.
The last stop on the top floor was the children’s rooms and décor. We had so much fun looking around and seeing what we could buy for our niece and nephews. There were stuffed animals, bedding, toys, cribs, lights and nightlights (by the way…I bought a chandelier in that section…it is awesome.) The only weird part was when some kid came up to me and said, “Mom, can we get these plates? I like them and I think we should get them.” I looked down at him and said, “I’m not your mom.” And he left somewhat confused to go find his mom…crazy!
We then took the steps down where there was a little bistro/bakery that smelled amazing. We found the textiles there, as well as all sorts of kitchen gadgets (Suzie stocked up), fabrics, bedding, beds, pillows, rugs, bathroom accessories, lighting, picture frames, art work, and everything else that would go in or out of a house.
The last stop before the check out was the HUGE open warehouse where you picked up your furniture, since you assemble it yourself.
By the time we got done, we were pooped. We guessed how much we thought we had spent and checked out. Each of us came in under the total we had guessed and we headed to the exiting complete awe of our first IKEA experience. It was complete and totally worth the three hour drive.
We walked back to “Millie” with big blue tarp bag in hand and smiles on our faces. We didn’t have to say anything to each other, but we both knew the other one was planning the next trip to IKEA.
No comments:
Post a Comment