IKEA

Yesterday I went to the IKEA in West Chester with my friend Sarah. Neither if us have been there before, but my sister-in-law swears by them and their prices. Since Sarah just bought a house and I had some things in mind we decided to give it a try.

All I can say is, while IKEA is a great store, I felt incredibly overwhelmed - and that's saying a lot. The sheer size of the place is scary, then the layout of the store is like one giant maze. There are no aisles, just different "departments" pushed together. Everywhere you look there is something different and it's so easy to get lost. This is definitely a store you need to prepare for before arrival. Sarah and I got there around 1pm and didn't leave until 5:30pm! They even have a restaurant and hot dog stand in the store, so of course we ate there (btw the apple cake is wonderful). Somehow I managed to get out of there with only the curtain rod I planned on buying and an art easel for the kids, Sarah bought two lamps and a candle, and we were the only people with less than five items!

Sarah and I are planning on going again after she closes on her house later this month. Next time we are going prepared with a list and a tape measure - plus an extra cup of coffee.