Hipsters, rejoice! IKEA moves its Denver opening date up to July 27

For an intolerably long time, there has been a gaping void in the soul of Denver, and that void is the shape of a giant blue box somewhere in the suburbs where price-tag-conscious hipsters can get their simultaneous fix of trendy, affordable, ready-to-assemble furniture and Swedish culinary delights at the...

By Jef Otte

April 26, 2011

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For an intolerably long time, there has been a gaping void in the soul of Denver, and that void is the shape of a giant blue box somewhere in the suburbs where price-tag-conscious hipsters can get their simultaneous fix of trendy, affordable, ready-to-assemble furniture and Swedish culinary delights at the same time -- and since IKEA announced its coming to Denver late last summer, that void has grown even more pronounced with the anticipation. But the wait, IKEA announced today (see the full IKEA press release), is just a little bit closer to over: Due to favorable weather and ahead-of-schedule construction, IKEA has moved the opening date of its Centennial store up to July 27 at 9 a.m.

And, man, is it ever going to be satisfying: Besides being the first IKEA location anywhere even close to Denver, it'll be the Swedish retailer's second-largest location anywhere in the U.S. (the biggest is in Chicago), a 415,000-square-foot space built on 13.5 acres and boasting 10,000 furniture designs, a (supervised!) children's play area and a restaurant serving delicious lingonberries and other Swedish specialties you weren't aware you wanted until now.

It'll also the first U.S. IKEA store to integrate geothermal heating and cooling into its design, in addition to the solar panels it dropped onto the roof all 007-style back in January. Well, actually, those were air conditioners, but whatever.

The important thing is, in your face, Draper, UT! Last time we come to your inferior IKEA.

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