Ikea media tour a big hit
Memo Executive Editor Rich Riegel, Publisher Tim Curran and Reporter Lee Perlman all enjoyed a festive lunch and tour at the new Airport Way Ikea store on July 18. The Ikea Portland store, at 10280 N.E. Cascades Parkway, is located in the midst of the new CascadeStation development at the intersection of Airport Way West and Interstate 205 here in Portland.
As members of the Fourth Estate, our press men and women buddies all got treated to a fantastic lunch consisting of many of the food items that will be for sale on the second floor food court. There were some delectable edibles, with a good portion of them Swedish, to match the country of origin of IKEA. During our reporters’ repast, the chef for the food court operation introduced herself to our neighborhood newspaper group, and mentioned that she’s still working on a signature dish that reflects Oregon; our Lee Perlman suggested something either with local produce or local seafood.
For the tour, we got to see a wonderful children’s day care operation that included an adorable miniature child’s commode; I’ve been told that such items are common in day care, but I thought it was neat anyway. The child’s area is called Smaland. As it says in one of the brochures, “Children are always welcome at IKEA. That’s why you’ll find places to play, a children’s menu, bottle warming, special spots for baby care, and strollers to borrow while you’re here.”
Ikea Customer Services Manager Sonya Hamner (and part time tour guide) shows how parents shop with the Ikea “big yellow bag” and navigate the store aisles with children in tow, and along for the ride.
By the way, the name IKEA comes from founder Ingvar Kamprad, who grew up on a farm called Elmtaryd in the parish Agunnaryd in southern Sweden. With IKEA Portland, there are 31 U.S. and 11 Canadian IKEA stores. There are 256 worldwide.
As for the store, well, the tour itself took over an hour, with detailed explanations of what was for sale. IKEA offers virtually everything one would need to stock a home, from kitchen cabinets to framed art reproductions to paper napkins. I was interested in finding out where everything was made, and asked if any of it came from China. I was told that IKEA purchases items designed by and for IKEA from 45 different countries. What I found time and time again while inspecting individual items that more than one item does indeed come from China.
This brings up an interesting global economic question. When an international company like IKEA comes to our beautiful Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland, what am I supposed to say about a store that sells home décor whose countries of manufacture originate for the most part outside the U.S.? What does such a store do for our local economy? Sure, it hires some local folks to work for the firm, but what about the items sold? Are we to become a nation of salespeople, hawking wares from virtually every country but our own?
I did find one item made in the U.S., but mostly everything seemed to come from China or Taiwan. Even our press “door prize,” a cool and funky ice cube tray, was manufactured in China. The funny thing, for some reason I thought of local products and thought of the Boeing company, with one of its facilities located in nearby Gresham. Then I thought of Boeing’s new, heavily-in-demand 787 Dreamliner, with its much-touted series of components that come from literally every continent on the globe. We live in a global economy, there’s no denying that, but what role will the U.S. serve in that global economy? Will we lose all of our manufacturing jobs to foreign competition?
There were some really cool items for sale, and at some great prices. I’m not the biggest shopper in the world, so I can’t say that you couldn’t get some of the same items elsewhere for less money, but it did seem like a shopper’s paradise. And apparently everything IKEA sells is made especially by and for IKEA. I cannot advocate one buy everything one needs for a home from IKEA, but I will advise that anyone with a desire to at least check the store out. But wear comfortable shoes: It’s a 280,000-square-foot operation, with concrete floors, so be prepared.
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