Tulsa Organizations Start Campaign To Get IKEA Furniture Store Built In The City

Tulsa really wants an IKEA.

Several organizations including Tulsa Remote and Tulsa Young Professionals are working on a campaign called "Tulsa Loves IKEA."

The people involved are trying to get IKEA's attention to show the Swedish furniture giant it needs to build a store here.

They're doing everything from hosting a pop-up Swedish fine dining experience in Tulsa to even getting a group of Tulsans on a bus down to Texas.

Things are busy in the kitchen of Et al. The group of chefs are busy whipping together desserts, all to prepare for an eight-course all-dessert pop-up Saturday, called Butter Bar.

Et Al. is made up of 15 chefs who host pop-up dinners at a local coffee shop and cater events all over town.

They now have a new challenge: making a six-course Nordic menu with local ingredients, in a four-day pop-up dinner inspired by the food at IKEA. It’s called “Tulsmå.”

"We ate the whole menu at IKEA," said Chef Chloe Butler at Et. al. "A lot of us had never been, it was pretty new.”

A campaign called Tulsa Loves IKEA is using these dinners, along with a huge social media push, merchandise and a bus trip, to entice the massive furniture store to build its next location in Tulsa.

“IKEA has pledged to open 15 spots across the country," said Justin Harlan. "We know Tulsa just surpassed 1 million people.”

Justin Harlan with Tulsa Remote said Tulsa’s location, between Dallas and Kansas City, as well as the several universities and new people moving here through Tulsa remote makes this city perfect to host IKEA.

“On June 2nd, we’re taking a bus trip to Frisco wearing these shirts," he said. "It'll be a great chance to show Tulsa has interest going down buying what you want bringing it back.”

The pop-up Tulsmå dinners are being held June 13th- 16th at the Vista at Gathering Place, but they’re already waitlisted.

IKEA sent this statement: "At IKEA, we are always looking at new opportunities for expansion and growth. As we continue to transform our business, we are considering new ways to meet our customers’ needs across the U.S. However, IKEA has not announced any plans for a new location in the Tulsa, OK area."

For information on the trip and other ways to contact IKEA HERE: