Ikea made its debut in Montgomery County this week, opening at Gaithersburg’s Rio shopping center across from Copper Canyon Grill. Depending on your tolerance for delayed gratification, this new store may or may not save you a trip to College Park. Unlike Ikea’s massive warehouses, this is a “plan-and-order” location where you can see everything in person but you can’t take anything home on the day of your visit. (Also: There’s no restaurant, and thus no Swedish meatballs.) So what can you do at the Rio store? Get up close to the pieces you’re thinking about buying, sit down with a consultant to plan your project, and get free shipping if you’re willing to pick up at Rio.
