By Caitlin McNamara
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

RED HOOK — The well-known Swedish furniture retailer IKEA made a wise choice in calling its newest store IKEA Brooklyn.

It is the only IKEA to use the name of its municipality in the title, and as other businesses, such as the Brooklyn Brewery and Brooklyn Industries have proven, “Brooklyn� can be a tremendous branding boost.

However, its widespread popularity was already evident Wednesday morning, when the doors opened and a flood of eager customers filled the 340,000-square-foot building.

After a long wait — for some as long as 48 hours — the lucky shoppers at the head of the line were welcomed in to IKEA Brooklyn at 9 a.m. As they ascended the escalator to the second floor, where model rooms lead from one to another, the path was lined with rows of IKEA staffers cheering and waving IKEA noisemakers.

Each of the first 35 adults in line, in honor of this being the 35th U.S. IKEA store, was given a voucher for a free couch, and the next 100 behind them received armchairs, like Sarah Hanlon and Ian Laskowski, who were exhausted after the wait. Other freebies included vouchers for food, big blue and yellow umbrellas and heart pillows for kids.

The festivities began at 6 a.m., with musical entertainment for those in line, speeches from borough president Marty Markowitz and store manager and Brooklynite Mike Baker, and a log-cutting ceremony for good luck. IKEA Brooklyn, the Swedish company’s first store in New York City, has been in the works for six years.

Deputy Store Manager Louie Fernandez, also a Brooklynite, will help Baker run IKEA. They will coordinate a staff of 500, predominantley residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

“Clearly, IKEA recognizes that if you want to make a big splash in this city, you gotta go to Brooklyn,� said Markowitz.

“IKEA has not just built a store that offers stylish, quality furniture that average Brooklynites and New York City residents can actually afford. It has committed to becoming a valued member of the community by bringing hundreds of new jobs to Red Hook and making the hiring of local residents a priority.�

“We are thrilled with the reception afforded us here in Brooklyn,� said Joseph Roth, director of public affairs for IKEA in North America.

Emphasis on Public Transportation

Roth said that while the store has space for 1,400 cars, there is also an emphasis on using public transportation to get there.

Two city bus lines have been extended to serve the area, and Ikea is offering free shuttle service from three of the nearest subway stations and a free ferry service from lower Manhattan.

The store is like every other Ikea in the products it carries, but there are a few elements that make this location unique, including the 6½-acre waterfront esplanade that is open to the public.

The Brooklyn store will offer home delivery of furniture, as does every IKEA, but it will also offer a service that’s only found in this store — customers buying small household items can arrange for a courier service to deliver those, as well.

— Additional reporting from Associated Press

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