IKEA opens to fanfare in Cincinnati

Few retailers are able to generate as much excitement around a store opening as Sweden-based IKEA, exemplified by the crowds at a grand opening of the company’s first Ohio store near Cincinnati yesterday.

The opening of the store, based in West Chester, Ohio, included costumed dancers and singers from the Swedes of Greater Cincinnati, and several door prizes, including gift cards and merchandise. Security officials were turning some shoppers away, who then circled the store until they could get inside, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Some customers staked out the store “for nearly 48 hours -- the maximum allowed by the store,” explained the Indianapolis Star.

According to the Oxford (Ohio) Press, an estimated 10,000 customers entered the store in the first hour after its 9 a.m. grand opening.

The new IKEA store features three model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised children's play area and a 300-seat restaurant.

Other Ikea retail locations in the Midwest include stores in Bloomington, Minn.; Schaumburg, Ill.; and Canton, Mich., a location that opened just two months ago.