When Will West Michigan Get Its Own IKEA?

For years, people would talk up the splendor of going to an IKEA store: walking around, seeing all the furniture, and getting some Swedish meatballs from the food court (because yes, IKEA is more than just a furniture store). So, in 2020, I made the trek to the store, and it was awesome and delicious.

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However, the closest IKEA to West Michigan is three hours away, either in Detroit or just outside Chicago, so a casual trip there is a big undertaking. So when it was announced that another location would be opening in Michigan, I got very excited, thinking we'd finally have a shorter commute.

However, my excitement didn't last long. The new location, a smaller pop-up store, will open in Auburn Hills, a mere 40 miles from the Canton Township location. So, will West Michigan ever get an IKEA store of its own?

IKEA's Second Michigan Location Opening

According to CBS News Detroit, a new pop-up store will open at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills as early as this summer. Unlike the Canton location, which lets you buy items in-store and leave that day, the pop-up store will let people browse the inventory and order items for home delivery.

Will West Michigan Get An IKEA Anytime Soon?

Currently, the only IKEA property in West Michigan is a Pick-Up location for online purchases, but it shows that IKEA at least sees value in the area. But is a full shopping center ever going to be seen open somewhere in West Michigan?

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Many states have only one full store with a restaurant, usually located a few miles outside large cities, so it's unlikely Grand Rapids would get one of those locations. Ohio also has an IKEA Store and two pick-up locations, but its pick-ups are outside Cleveland and Columbus.

These two cities are far more populated than Grand Rapids, and if they can't get a store, the outlook isn't great for West Michigan. It's more likely that, if the smaller experimental store going into Great Lakes Crossing is successful, Grand Rapids could see one of these in the future.

But I'm no expert, so take this with a grain of salt. West and Central Michigan having a pick-up location is already a luxury most cities don't have.