WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 14, 2021 3
IKEA offi cially opens Rego Center location
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
IKEA officially opened its new
store at the Rego Center on Monday,
Jan. 11.
After a delay to its original opening
date due to COVID-19, the highly
anticipated retail store at 61-35 Junction
Blvd. was open to the public a
few days in advance to the official
opening — an opportunity some
Queens residents took advantage
of.
Rocio Zegarra, who lives nearby
the Rego Center, said she’s glad to
see the store finally opened.
“Since Pier 1 closed, it is a great
opportunity to have IKEA supply
the area with less expensive items,”
Zegarra said. “Some people do not
like the furniture but many do.”
Zegarra said they have a selection
of smaller appliances that can
be carried in their famous blue
bags. She visited the store over
the weekend without plans to buy
anything, but left with wine glasses
and their “delicious and healthy”
rye crackers.
Roger Gonzalez, who lives in
Glendale, took a trip to the Rego
Center and was happy to see the
store includes the restaurant
where many shoppers go for their
signature Swedish meatballs. However,
the small eatery is currently
unavailable due to COVID-19 delays,
according to a spokesperson.
“Without the meatballs and the
restaurant, IKEA is just not as much
fun,” said Gonzalez. “My wife and I
were happy to see that eventually
the food court will be opened.”
In the meantime, IKEA is offering
a section with frozen foods and
other snacks for purchase.
Other residents were glad to have
a store nearby that they can access
with public transit. The store’s location
was strategically chosen, as it
is near public transportation like
the Q59 and Q60 bus stops and 63rd
Drive — Rego Park subway station,
served by the M and R trains.
The Rego Center location is the
first IKEA in the U.S. with a new,
smaller format, featuring a full
range of products across 115,000
square feet of space. The Queens
store is custom made for the unique
lifestyle of New Yorkers, with inspiring
room sets and digital tools
focused on sustainable, small-space
living solutions.
Customers will experience a
different format from the Planning
Studio in Manhattan, which
opened in April 2019, and other
traditional IKEA stores, including
the chance to set up home delivery
for an affordable flat fee, self-pay
and assisted check out options, and
schedule appointments with IKEA
co-workers to plan kitchens, living
rooms and bedrooms.
The new store, which marks
IKEA’s third in New York City, will
be equipped with all the safety
enhancements put into place in
other IKEA locations during the
pandemic, such as physical distancing
guidance, preventative hygiene
practices, temperature checks for
co-workers, rigorous cleaning and
sanitization and maintaining strict
capacity limits.
The store is open from 10 a.m. to
9 p.m. every day.
Photo courtesy of IKEA Queens
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