IKEA News

IKEA mini-store will pop up inside South Austin Best Buy

IKEA mini-store inside Best Buy

Courtesy rendering

IKEA and Best Buy are partnering in an innovative pilot program that's coming to Austin: Beginning this fall, the two retailers will combine major appliances from Best Buy with the well-designed and affordable home furnishings from IKEA.

The new in-store collaboration will launch in only 10 stores in Florida and Texas, and that includes a store in South Austin's Sunset Valley. It'll feature 1,000-square-foot IKEA mini-stores that showcase kitchen and laundry room settings. These spaces are designed to help customers create a cohesive living space incorporating Best Buy's high-tech appliances.

At the IKEA in Best Buy experience, customers can receive support from IKEA staffers to plan and order home furnishing solutions. Best Buy’s blue shirts will also be in the store to provide advice on electronics.

This is the first time IKEA products and services will be accessible through another U.S. retailer. Best Buy shoppers can make purchases for their kitchens and laundry rooms with IKEA merchandise available at Best Buy stores.

In a statement, Best Buy chief merchandising officer Patrick McGinnis says that "with this partnership, we get to combine technology and design and show shoppers what’s truly possible in their home like never before."

“When you’re shopping for new electronics, whether it’s a laptop or a TV or a washing machine, it’s important to understand the technology and make a decision based on how it will help you, your family and your home in your everyday life,” McGinnis says.

“This partnership between IKEA and Best Buy is about making great design and functionality more accessible for the many,” said Rob Olson, chief operation officer, IKEA U.S. “By bringing together our home furnishing expertise, products, and services with Best Buy’s leadership in appliances and technology, we’re creating a one-stop destination where customers can design their dream kitchen, storage solutions or laundry space with ease. It’s a great step on our journey to helping people create beautiful, functional homes at a price they can afford."

The Best Buy stores that will feature an IKEA shop-in-shop later this year include five locations in Texas as follows:

Plus five locations in Florida: Boynton Beach, Daytona Beach, Lakeland, Melbourne, and Waterford Lakes.

To further meet the needs of customers, two stores – Lakeland, Florida, and Alamo Ranch, Texas – will serves as a pick-up point for IKEA shoppers, allowing customers in these markets to pick up most IKEA U.S. products for free at the Best Buy store, whether those were purchased through an IKEA in Best Buy design experience or IKEA.com.

IKEA also debuted a smaller-format store in San Marcos on July 16. However, the San Marcos store was designed for a small city and unlike the Best Buy mini-stores, is in a standalone retail space.

openings

WINTER WONDERS

Weekend holiday market elevates Austin's Asian artists

Photo by Joi Conti Photography

Illustrator Lisa Crawford of LisaLisa, who brings a touch of Filipino-American culture to her art, at a recent vendor fair.

Expect Asian flair from a variety of local artists at Asian Season ATX’s first Holiday Market on the grounds of Beerburg Brewery this Sunday, December 14. The market will feature more than 20 creators of ceramics, prints, and photography with a dash of Asian or Pacific heritage.

The holiday market, launched by Asian Season ATX, will showcase both art and food through an Asian lens. Hours are noon to 5 pm. The vendor lineup includes:

The Filipino food truck KinAugi, known for its lumpia, pancit, and meatsicles, also will be on site. A pop-up art gallery will feature the works of various artists with Asian American and Pacific Islander background: Erina Rizal, Ngan Hoang, Bart Sasam, Lauren Hua, Andy Dunlavey, Gigi White, and RJ Gaulberto.

Tayo Na Vol 2 launch party Asian vendors gathered for Tayo Na launch part, which celebrated the area's second Filipino directory.Photo by Joi Conti Photography

Painter Ngan Hoang, for instance, was born in Saigon. She uses paint and found materials to explore themes of healing, identity, and belonging. Bart Sasam uses his photography skills to create digital dioramas of Austin. And RJ Gualberto, born in the Philippines, moved to Austin in 2018 and uses both drafting and rendering skills in his art.

Artist Andy Dunlavey and baker Cedric Silan created Asian Season ATX in early 2024. Silan, who serves as executive director, says the group came together because showcasing Asian artists together drew bigger crowds.The organization is committed to being a welcoming space to artists, artisans, creators and makers.

Asian Season ATX founders Asian Season ATX celebrates Asian Heritage Month at Austin Beerworks.Photo by Joi Conti Photography

The group began with its annual AAPI Month Kickoff at Austin Beerworks, which quickly grew from a small gathering into one of the city’s larger celebrations of Asian and Pacific Islander creatives.

From there, Asian Season ATX expanded into curating art spaces for Party at the People’s House, partnering with Bolm Arts Studios for the Look Mama, We Made It gallery, contributing to the Austin Studio Tour, and supporting community projects like the Walks of Life exhibition and the Tayo Na launch, the city's Filipino directory.

Now, the organization continues hosting events year-round and highlighting participating artists on social media. Austinites who miss this event — or attend and want more — won't have to wait long for the next event. Plus, many of the vendors have connections with other markets and sell their goods online.

asian culture markets holidays shopping