The dedicated customers of Ikea lined the streets of Merriam Kansas hoping to be one of the first in the doors of the new and much anticipated Ikea store, even despite the cold Wednesday morning drizzle. For months, people in the Kansas City area, were suiting up for the grand opening of the new Swedish store off of I-35 and Johnson Drive. As the arrival approached, the city continued to anticipate the arrival.

The store opened on Sept. 10, with many events to welcome the new store including grand prize giveaways and free food offered to people waiting in line. The first 40 people in line were rewarded for their early arrival with a free sofa. The next 100 people in line with an armchair and first 100 children received a heart shaped toy. The first 2,500 people in were given a mystery prize envelopes stuffed with gift certificates to satisfy everyone.

“I had no idea it was going to be that big, I could tell they put a lot of work into making the store as special and BIG as possible,” said freshman Tierney Manning.

To say the grand opening was a success would be the understatement of the year, with an overwhelming number of customers, the Kansas City Police Department even had to work together with the Merriam Police Department to ensure that the opening went off without a kink. The Ikea store even posted parking plans and a shuttle schedule on their nationwide Facebook page.