IKEA to open store in Sunrise!

The Swedish furniture giant IKEA, with 26 stores throughout the U.S., has announced that it will build its first Florida store in Sunrise by summer 2007. This comes after scouting for a South Florida location for two years and creating some controversy along the way.

The store will be located on the NW corner of State Road 84 and NW 136th Avenue (formerly the site of Blockbuster Golf and Games). The store is expected to become a destination spot much like the nearby Sawgrass Mills Mall has been since its opening.

For IKEA's loyal fans, this grand opening will mean no more need for catalogs or online shopping for their favorite furniture and accessory items.

According to IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth, building a store in Florida has long made sense for IKEA. The state has more customers -- 250,000 -- than any other state without an IKEA store.

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2006 and create 350 jobs in the area.