Core77

Photo: Heather White

Love or hate them, IKEA opened their first Brooklyn store at 10am this morning to a sea of people, some who've been waiting since Monday to score free giveaways for early customers. Plans to open the IKEA store were met with a lot of resistance from the local community who fear increased traffic will dramatically change the neighborhood. IKEA is expecting to attract 18,000 shoppers on weekends. Time will tell if their even bigger concern of Red Hook transforming into a massive big-box retailer zone will come true.

Unlike other cities, many New Yorkers get by without a car, grocery shopping is typically done at a corner store and supermarket trips are limited to what you can carry home walking. In a bid to make the new IKEA more accessible, a water taxi and free shuttle buses from 2 subway stops are available. And for the over zealous shoppers who pick up a few too many extra's, IKEA is offering a next day delivery service, van rentals on site, as well as vehicles for Zip Car members.

View more of Heather White's pics from this morning on flickr.