TULSA, Okla. — A group of community leaders is launching a campaign to persuade IKEA to open one of its furniture stores in Tulsa.
Several organizations (Tulsa Remote, TYPROS, and others) are joining forces to roll out a social media campaign, a series of events, and a new website, www.tulsalovesIKEA.com
Similar efforts have paid off for Tulsa. In 2016, a Trader Joe’s opened on Brookside after a push from the community and TYPROS.
Here's more from when Trader Joe's came to Brookside:
“I think it’s a great example of when you get out there and put forth the effort to make people notice you, which, oftentimes Tulsa requires more work to make that happen, it pays off,” said Justin Harlan, Tulsa Remote Managing Director.
Harlan believes the roughly 4 million people in the region could support the large, campus-style store. He also thinks stores like these attract talent to cities.
“As folks choose where they want to live, it’s big names that get their attention and it’s one less thing they are leaving behind from the major metropolitan area they are coming from,” he said.
Oklahoma native Jessica Remer briefly moved to Memphis, which has an IKEA. She would love to see one here.
“I loved IKEA,” she said. “I was there every other weekend. Half of my house is furnished by IKEA.”
Sign up is underway for a charter bus trip to Frisco, Texas, to take Tulsans on a shopping trip. From June 13-16, The Vista at Gathering Place will host a fine-dining pop-up restaurant with an IKEA-inspired menu.
Last April, IKEA unveiled plans for a $2.2 billion investment to open eight additional stores in the United States.
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