First Stoughton, then Somerville? Bostonist Surrounded by IKEAs

Several years ago, Bostonist was in Auburn, Maine, for work and we picked up a copy of the Lewiston Sun Journal. On the back page of the front section, we read with some amusement a story about the recent opening of a Wal-Mart in the town of Mexico. The article quoted resident after gushing, happy resident, many of them from neighboring towns with equally fun names (Peru, for example), all of whom said, in essence, that the opening of a Wal-Mart in Mexico was the most exciting thing to happen to them in their whole lives. Bostonist, with haughty big-city sophistication, quietly scoffed at these country folk, imagining that the mere opening of some retail outlet would never matter so much to Boston's worldly residents. Of course, as recent events have shown, we were completely wrong. The whole eastern part of the Commonwealth (and probably much of Rhode Island, too) is in the grip of Ikea fever, which is having far-reaching effects that no one could have imagined.

We have thus far resisted the urge to make the holy pilgrimage of blonde wood modernism, but we have discussed it with Mrs. Bostonist, notwithstanding the fact that we have neither room nor money for even a new, angular, Swedish stapler. The pull of IKEA is strong. Very strong. Given our inexplicable interest in Assembly Square and the recent news that IKEA may soon be there, it seems we may not be able to stay away for long.