Shop-aholics in Bangkok, Thailand, like me and half the people I know, are all excited that the country’s first ever IKEA store will be opening in Bangkok. Soon. But, as it’s seemed to take forever from the initial IKEA announcement a couple of years ago, many people are a bit confused. When, exactly, is Bangkok’s first IKEA store opening? November 3rd to be precise. Just one more month to go.
The new IKEA store will be opening in Bang Na, pretty close to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Unfortunately, for someone like me, it’s simply too far to bother traveling there much as, even if they have cute stuff, it’s not worth a two-hour round trip taxi ride from my house. So, for that reason alone, the initial excitement has already worn off.
For others in the Bang Na area, or close by it, though, the new IKEA store should be a thrill. They’ve already started to distribute their new 376-page IKEA catalogue, and I’m sure Thais are greedily pouring over it as we speak.
Fortunately, IKEA does have plans to open other Bangkok stores, although they’ll be opened sometime in the next “ten years”, according to IKEA. They’ll also likely be on the far outskirts of Bangkok, at one end or another, as IKEA really does need a massive amount of land to open one of their stores, and there’s nothing that big left in Bangkok itself.
Still, if you’re an IKEA fan and close to the Bang Na region, look out for the catalogue appearing on your doorstep. Or just show up at the store on November 3rd, opening day. Just be warned, IKEA says they’re expecting about 40,000 people, so it might be a little crowded.