This is a question I've pondered for years. Not too seriously, mind you; only on the rare occasion that I need to go there. While I am not an overly avid IKEA shopper, there are certain needed household items that make the trek down to Schaumburg, Ill., a necessary and worthwhile one.
At least, I thought so.
My husband works from home and our home office was long overdue for an overhaul. This weekend, in a borrowed pick up truck, we decided to make his desire for an acceptable workspace a reality and headed south to the closer of the two Illinois Swedish superstores.
But as my husband and I hopped into a borrowed pickup truck this weekend to make the journey, I wondered if we were wasting our time. The drive -- with the ongoing construction and lane closures -- was well over two hours. Were we really saving any money once we filled up the portion of the gas tank we'd used? Probably not.
Still, we love the new office furniture we bought -- and we love all the little extras we came home with, but hadn't intended on buying. It's like the Target experience, but worse. On second thought, maybe I should keep a safe two-hour distance from this place ...
What's the consensus here? Do you make the trip to IKEA when you need a slew of affordable yet attractive home goods? Or does a five-to-six hour shopping experience negate any potential savings? If there were an IKEA just outside the Milwaukee area (even a one-hour drive west or north would be better than the dreaded toll road), would you shop there?
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
