IKEA's doors open to waiting Utah throng

DRAPER — IKEA built it, and the people of Utah came.

The wait was over today, as thousands of customers made their way through the famed home furnishings retailer's doors. IKEA Draper is open for business.

"It's not just a store, it's like a grown-up maze of all sorts of fun stuff," said Matt Juillerat, who stood proudly at the front of the line.

Juillerat had camped at the IKEA site since early Monday. "At IKEA, you think you've seen the coolest thing in the world, and then you turn the corner and there's another thing, the next coolest thing."

The 310,000-square-foot store, located off I-15 at the Bangerter Highway exit, is IKEA's 30th in the United States and its first in the Intermountain West.

"It's been a good long haul for all of our co-workers to get here," store manager Paul Janzen said at a ceremony celebrating the opening. "There are 350 of us, and we've been trying to contain our excitement. We wanted to show everyone what we've been doing and what we've been building here, and now we finally get to do that."

IKEA offers 10,000 home furnishings, displayed in 51 complete room settings and three model homes. It also includes a 300-seat Swedish restaurant, bistro and food market.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. hailed IKEA as "one of the greatest companies in the world," and extended the state's welcome.

"The last time I heard about people sleeping out at an event was the last Rolling Stones concert," Huntsman said. "This is absolutely phenomenal. We are all a little Swedish today.

"I think IKEA made the right decision by coming to the most dynamic state in America. It would not surprise me if this is your hottest outlet anywhere in the world."

As the doors opened at 9 a.m., Juillerat ran through a cheering crowd of IKEA employees, shouting his triumph, fists pumping. A steady stream of shoppers followed, continuously, for hours.

IKEA's grand opening events, which extend through Memorial Day, include prize drawings, musical entertainment and face painting for kids. On Wednesday, the first 100 people won a free POANG armchair (a $79 value). The first 100 children received a free heart-shaped cushion, and the first 2,500 shoppers received random prize envelopes with vouchers for prizes like IKEA gift cards ranging from $10 to $250.

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com