IKEA to Nashville

[Bos2Nash]

23 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

I don't know.  The IKEA in Atlanta is right in the middle of the city and built on top of a two-level parking garage.  It's a huge store (I believe it was advertised as the largest in America at the time it was built although I think the one built later in Charlotte is larger).  One reason I prefer going there instead of other stores is precisely because it's on top of a parking garage, so I can carry $hundreds of stuff to my car while protected from the elements.  The urban enthusiast in me hopes that IKEA would do something like that in Nashville, but you're probably right that they would rather do a suburban location next to a freeway with a sprawling parking lot like they tend to do in most other American cities.

I agree with you to an extent, but IKEA doesn't necessarily need to be in the middle of a city to build the structured parking. The IKEA in Stoughton, MA (only one in MA) is built on structured parking and is 20 miles outside of Boston. Granted the NE is much more dense and land is harder to come by (probably why IKEA is focusing on the South for new stores), but IKEA has a much different building model then most US based big-box stores, such as building above the parking for the exact reason you describe.

Just look at the neighboring stores vs IKEA. While IKEA still has a large parking surface, the vast majority of the parking in under the store still. They also utilize white roofs, solar panels, etc. 

I just think if IKEA keeps their current model they belong out on 840 as it is very accessible in a car-dependent city like Nashville. Rooms to Go Outlet is only 32 miles from Nashville. Now the urban enthusiast in me would love to see an urban showroom type store integrated into a larger development, but I really do NOT want to see a store like the Atlanta one within the urban core or even within the Briley/440 Loop. That kind of land-use just doesn't make good sense to me. 

Another thought would be to put an IKEA adjacent to an airport. The air space around them is already heavily regulated and IKEAs are not known for building tall buildings, so pair the two together and I think that would be a match made in heaven. Finding a large enough tract of land is the hard part. 

The IKEA in New Haven, CT takes the opposite approach - and solidifies my desire for an 840 location - because it is served entirely by a surface parking lot

[Luvemtall]

15 minutes ago, Bos2Nash said:

Another thought would be to put an IKEA adjacent to an airport. The air space around them is already heavily regulated and IKEAs are not known for building tall buildings, so pair the two together and I think that would be a match made in heaven. Finding a large enough tract of land is the hard part. 

Good idea, I know of a large tract that’s in the runway flight path of the Lebanon Airport. It faces I-40 and is served by South Hartmann Drive , in proximity to the new Barton Village development and the soon to be One Lebanon Place. With two other large mixed use developments in the works , that area is looking at approximately 4500 new residential units and multiple retail units in the next few years. 

[satalac]

2 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

Or maybe next to Costco @ I-24 New Salem Road, would be very visible there and it’s in proximity to the rumored Hy-Vee on New Salem. 

Very true. Drove back in that area a couple days ago to check out the bridge construction. That's a large area of land for sure, and very good visibility. 

[FromParkAveToTN]

1 hour ago, satalac said:

Very true. Drove back in that area a couple days ago to check out the bridge construction. That's a large area of land for sure, and very good visibility. 

Really tho!!! An IKEA over a Bergdorfs. That literally just made my stomach hurt. I think I'm feeling a little sick now and need to go lay down. 

[donNdonelson2]

3 hours ago, Bos2Nash said:

Another thought would be to put an IKEA adjacent to an airport. The air space around them is already heavily regulated and IKEAs are not known for building tall buildings, so pair the two together and I think that would be a match made in heaven. Finding a large enough tract of land is the hard part. 

This area (approximately 144 acres) once marketed for development as Buchanan Point, might make a good airport area IKEA location.

image from Apple maps 

[satalac]

4 hours ago, FromParkAveToTN said:

Really tho!!! An IKEA over a Bergdorfs. That literally just made my stomach hurt. I think I'm feeling a little sick now and need to go lay down. 

Bergdorfs???

[PillowTalk4]

I thought I would share this google maps view of the Ikea in Woodbridge, VA which as previously mentioned is a suburb in the greater Washington, DC area.  This Ikea location sits across from Potomac Mills mall.  As you can see from the view, it doesn't have large parking lots for the store itself.  The store has a parking garage underneath it that is the full length and width of the building.  If Ikea builds in Nashville, I hope they follow suit with the Woodbridge store even if it is in the suburbs.  This store proves that you don't need massive parking lots for it to work well.  I know some will assume that since it is located next to a mall that customers may use the parking lots nearby for Ikea as well.  Actually that seems to be relatively rare.  It really isn't convenient to use the lot across the mall access road from the Ikea store due to the constant flow of traffic for the nearby Costco store and gas station.  The parking across the street designated as Ikea parking is really more for overflow than anything else.  

[TNinVB]

3 hours ago, PillowTalk4 said:

I thought I would share this google maps view of the Ikea in Woodbridge, VA which as previously mentioned is a suburb in the greater Washington, DC area.  This Ikea location sits across from Potomac Mills mall.  As you can see from the view, it doesn't have large parking lots for the store itself.  The store has a parking garage underneath it that is the full length and width of the building.  If Ikea builds in Nashville, I hope they follow suit with the Woodbridge store even if it is in the suburbs.  This store proves that you don't need massive parking lots for it to work well.  I know some will assume that since it is located next to a mall that customers may use the parking lots nearby for Ikea as well.  Actually that seems to be relatively rare.  It really isn't convenient to use the lot across the mall access road from the Ikea store due to the constant flow of traffic for the nearby Costco store and gas station.  The parking across the street designated as Ikea parking is really more for overflow than anything else.  

I would travel to this IKEA all the time before Hampton Roads (Norfolk/VA Beach) got one. The Woodbridge store is on a small parcel of land thanks to the parking garage. Even the store in Norfolk does not seem to take up a lot of land. There’s a small parking lot and a garage. I remember when the store location was announced thinking how the heck is an IKEA going to fit there? It’s right off of I-64 and Norfolk Premium Outlets is on the other side of the interstate, as well as the airport.

Edited January 8 by TNinVB

[jmtunafish]

8 hours ago, PillowTalk4 said:

I thought I would share this google maps view of the Ikea in Woodbridge, VA which as previously mentioned is a suburb in the greater Washington, DC area.  This Ikea location sits across from Potomac Mills mall.  As you can see from the view, it doesn't have large parking lots for the store itself.  The store has a parking garage underneath it that is the full length and width of the building.  If Ikea builds in Nashville, I hope they follow suit with the Woodbridge store even if it is in the suburbs.  This store proves that you don't need massive parking lots for it to work well.  I know some will assume that since it is located next to a mall that customers may use the parking lots nearby for Ikea as well.  Actually that seems to be relatively rare.  It really isn't convenient to use the lot across the mall access road from the Ikea store due to the constant flow of traffic for the nearby Costco store and gas station.  The parking across the street designated as Ikea parking is really more for overflow than anything else.  

That's the IKEA that really made me into the IKEA fanatic I am today.  I had an internship one summer during college nearby, and I'd go to the Potomac Mills food court on my lunch breaks.  At the time, IKEA had a much smaller store as one of the mall anchors (I think where Costco is today) and I eventually started eating my lunches at IKEA.  I'd been to IKEA in other countries, but IKEA isn't really such a destination retailer elsewhere like it is in the US and Canada, and I was just dazzled by IKEA's displays, mock apartment set-ups, and of course the restaurant.  Anyway, the Potomac Mills area always has a special place in my heart, and I am thrilled that IKEA replaced its small mall anchor store with a much larger, two-story store built on a two-story garage, similar to the Atlanta store.  I absolutely hope that IKEA could and will do something similar in Nashville.

Edited January 9 by jmtunafish

[Nathan_in_DC]

16 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

That's the IKEA that really made me into the IKEA fanatic I am today.  I had an internship one summer during college nearby, and I'd go to the Potomac Mills food court on my lunch breaks.  At the time, IKEA had a much smaller store as one of the mall anchors (I think where Costco is today) and I eventually started eating my lunches at IKEA.  I'd been to IKEA in other countries, but IKEA isn't really such a destination retailer elsewhere like it is in the US and Canada, and I was just dazzled by IKEA's displays, mock apartment set-ups, and of course the restaurant.  Anyway, the Potomac Mills area always has a special place in my heart, and I am thrilled that IKEA replaced its small mall anchor store with a much larger, two-story store built on a two-story garage, similar to the Atlanta store.  I absolutely hope that IKEA could and will do something similar in Nashville.

Hehe, I was there last weekend picking up a Trofast for the kid! The only thing that is bad about that location is its location... it's a pain to get to from Alexandria or Arlington because 95 is just a perpetual logjam.

[Boybugle63]

Is there room in this development for an IKEA?  With the Century Farms Development Firm (Oldacre McDonald) connected to this project, I wouldn't be surprised if they were/are in talks with IKEA if space is available.  Nashville’s first IKEA was announced in 2017 then cancelled in 2018 was to be located in Century Farms.  Nashville, Raleigh and Glendale were the 3 Stores cancelled in 2018 by IKEA.  I’m still thinking the Airport area for a store if IKEA decides to come to Nashville.   

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2024/02/15/oldacre-mcdonald-22-acre-airport-area-development.html

 

[Ramrod]

Another location begging for a development like this is Rivergate Mall in the old Macy’s area. Plenty of parking available and BJ’s Wholesale already open.  Before long the whole Mall will probably be available as they are about at the stage where the last one out of the Mall, please turn out the lights!