Give it a year, IKEA will be here

The northwest corner of Drexel Avenue and I-94 in Oak Creek is about to change forever. Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA will be going up on 29-acres at this location. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place Thursday morning. IKEA Public Affairs Manager Joseph Roth says he expects construction to last anywhere from a year to 15 months, depending on the weather. 

I had the chance to speak with Roth on Wednesday. He tells me Wisconsin is one of the last Midwestern states to finally get an IKEA. This one will be one level. Some stores are actually three. But I'm told there will still be plenty of good quality, lower cost merchandise for people to buy.

Roth also mentioned his store did a lot of scouting before choosing Oak Creek. He says in the end the choice to pick this city was a wise one due to the proximity to a busy highway interstate in addition to the need for this kind of product in our area.