True Story...

My name is Vinnie, and I have no interest in sellng you anything. I'm not a "marketer" or salesman of any kind. And in NO OFFICIAL WAY whatsoever am I associated with IKEA. I'm just a customer of theirs who has been making the occassional 5+ hour drive to Boilingbrook, IL or Schaumburg, IL in order to purchase from their stores.

I'm a web developer who lives in the St. Louis area. The picture on the left is my wife and I at Disney's "Epcot Center" back in October 2009. The same exact trip where I found that Tampa, FL, the previous city I used to call "home" now has an IKEA. It opened in May of 2009, and from the looks of it, it looks like they're thriving down there.

Now I have nothing but love for Tampa, but this made me wonder why IKEA wouldn't be found in my home city? Wikipedia states that we have a larger population than Tampa, and their distance to Orlando is considerably shorter than the drives we'd make. (as seen here on the right)

So, I got to thinking, maybe I should put my web skills to see what I can do to convince IKEA to find their way to St. Louis? How can I harness the internet to further this goal? So, first and foremost, I tried writing them.

Their Reply:

Hello Vincent,

Thank you for your interest in IKEA. We are always happy to hear from our customers.

IKEA is finishing its aggressive expansion plan of 50 new stores. We will currently focus on serving our existing markets, and then move into new markets that we believe are compatible with the unique IKEA concept.

At this time, we do not have specific opening dates; when detailed information becomes available, it will be posted on our website.

IKEA is also in the process of proposing stores that will open in 2010. Be sure to visit the "Press Room" section of our website and stay tuned for store locations as our plans become definite. For your convenience, we have also provided the link to our press room where you can subscribe to receive the latest press releases regarding IKEA.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/press/index.html

We hope this information has been helpful.

Best Regards,
Natalie
IKEA Customer Care Center

This message is intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. This communication may contain information that is proprietary, privileged or confidential, or otherwise legally exempt from disclosure. If you are not the named addressee, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part thereof. If you receive this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail and delete all copies of this message.

I'll admit, I'm somewhat nervous about printing that letter with all the legalese at the bottom, but this is not meant to slander them in any way. I wouldn't have purchased this domain if I didn't think that it would be a great impact on St. Louis, MO and surrounding areas... as WELL as IKEA. I mean, look at this map! Look at how many cities are within a 5 hour radius from St. Louis? I've only starred a few, but there are plenty of major highways that point directly to St. Louis.

So, the idea is this:

I'm thinking that if I can acquire a list of people who would be interested in the same thing that I am, then maybe I can present this to IKEA, and explain to them that St. Louis would be a perfect place to put a new location. Well, that's where you come in. I'm trying to accrue this list, and if you're interested, all I ask is for some time to enter your name, email address and maybe a comment or two about how much an IKEA store in St. Louis could benefit you greatly. Your information will be kept safe, and not sold to anyone. I'm thinking that organizing a group to meet this end is probably the best way to use the internet as a source for good! Any suggestions that you have are ALWAYS welcome. If any of you know of anyone that I can talk to regarding this, that would be great as well! I'm no community organizer, just a guy with some technical skills that would like to get some good furniture without a 5 hour drive to Chicago.