Swedish meatballs and aisles full of IKEA furniture are nearly ready for Tulsans to experience as staff put the finishing touches on the Tulsa Hills store officially opening Friday.
Starting at 10 a.m., shoppers will be able to explore 5,000 products on display, with a curated selection of around 3,000 products available for purchase. This includes home furnishing accessories and 250 smaller furniture items.
“You’re gonna get the full IKEA experience here,” Ben Sandoval, the global chain’s market manager, said. “We’ve got the showroom, the market hall, the Swedish deli. We’ve got the warehouse. You’ll find room sets and small space living with some homes that we’ve built here inside the store as well.”
Larger pieces, such as sofas and beds, along with the entire IKEA product range, will be available online.
Since its announcement in February, some residents were concerned the smaller, 51,000-square foot-location at 7309 S. Olympia Ave. would be missing some of the chain’s hallmark traits. The closest store in Frisco, Texas, is more than 300,000 square feet.
But during a media preview Wednesday, Sandoval said the south Tulsa location has just about everything a full-size store would — albeit in a more compact style.
The only thing the Tulsa IKEA doesn’t have, Sandoval said, is the Småland area where kids can play, but it does have some other areas for customers to keep their kids entertained.
When you walk in, you’ll find staged living room sets and office areas. There’s even the deli offering signature foods, cake and some frozen options to go.
Sandoval said even with a smaller footprint, customers can expect to spend the same amount as they would anywhere else.
“Our prices for IKEA are the same across the U.S., but we have a price for everyone. So we look to meet customers within the lowest, low, medium and high price points to make sure that we have something for everyone,” he said.
The arrival of the world’s largest furniture retailer also means more traffic in an area where Tulsans already experience heavy congestion, especially near the intersection of 81st Street and South Olympia Avenue.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is currently working on a project to widen the Highway 75 bridge and 81st Street and implement a diverging diamond interchange. The project is expected to be finished by the end of 2027.
“It means a lot to us that IKEA chose Tulsa. (There’s) a lot of places they could have been with the store, and Tulsa was selected because we’re growing and we’re thriving and we’re getting to that next level in terms of economic development in our city,” Erran Persley, Tulsa’s chief economic development officer, told The Eagle last week.
City councilors approved a $2.5 million incentive package to renovate the former Belk building into what will now be an IKEA.
Persley said the new store is estimated to have more than $100 million in annual impact on the city in terms of attracting new buyers and shoppers to the area. Sandoval said the Tulsa store will employ just over 60 people.
IKEA will hold raffle giveaways, and provide coffee at 8 a.m. Friday. Grand opening hours will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and regular store hours will be Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
