Hoosiers should start fishing out their allen wrenches from the back of the junk drawer…because Indiana is getting its own IKEA. Indiana residents have had to trek north to Chicago or east to Cincinnati to buy a bed with an difficult-to-pronounce name and enjoy the chain's signature Swedish meatballs, but in two years they’ll be able to visit the Scandinavian furniture behemoth’s new location in Fishers.
IKEA Spokesman Reed Lyons says they chose Fishers because they needed a large plot of land in an area that would draw customers statewide.
"Because you are trying to attract folks on a super-regional draw, it is really important to be close to a highway, very visible and accessible," Lyons says. "We found a piece of land that fit that bill and to be honest with you, the city of Fishers has been absolutely terrific."
The nearly 300,000-square-foot facility will be located on 35 acres off I-69 and 116th Street and will bring about 250 jobs.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness says the store is a win for Fishers and all of Central Indiana.
“In terms of the identity for our city to be a smart, vibrant and entrepreneurial city, and have IKEA, which I think is a very smart, vibrant and entrepreneurial, and frankly, elite retailer, come to our community, it’s a huge puzzle piece in creating that identity for the city of Fishers," he said today.
He says he doesn't think the new store will create more traffic snarls in the area, as it does most of its business on weekends and during time outside rush hour.
The new store is slated to open in Fall 2017.
