They’re giving away free couches to the first 35 people on line at IKEA and people are already lining up. I just got word that 18 people have already lined up; they’re going to have to stick around until the store opens on Wednesday morning. The first 100 people get an armchair.

On the left is the Ektorp sofa, they’re giving away. It come in white and it sells for $499.

I wonder what the scene is like over there. Are they camping out? They could probably use one of the cute pup tents we got at an IKEA years ago. Maybe IKEA can bring out some foam mattresses, sheets, pillowcases and duvets from inside the store and sheets, pillowcases, etc.

Why not. It could all be IKEA stuff.

Okay. Okay. Racked is covering the IKEA camp site in excruciating detail. Apparently there are tons of reporters/bloggers over there and the Port-A-Potties are already out of toilet paper.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood awaits the arrival of IKEA traffic, which is feared to bring as many as 14,000 cars per weekend. There is a mix of apprehension and excitement. Some residents have fought the idea of an IKEA in Red Hook for years. Others thought it would bring jobs and resources to the neighborhood. It remains to be see whether it’s a good or bad thing. Or maybe it’s a little of both.

In today’s New York Times, Ian Marvy of Added Value, the organic farm which is right across the street from IKEA, is quoted:

“There’s real apprehension,” he said during an interview at his farm on
Saturday. “Manhattan’s population doubles in a day, and we all know the
impact. You’re talking about tripling the population of this
neighborhood.”

He also said that he’s approached IKEA about collaborating on a composting system. "We have to make lemonade," he told the Times.