Ikea may change more than home decor in Brooklyn

A day before New York City's first Ikea store opens its doors, some people camped out for free sofas while others bemoaned an end of an era in a Brooklyn neighborhood that artists and blue-collar workers call home.

(Reuters) -- While even the most grudging New Yorkers said the popular Swedish furniture store could reduce unemployment and attract new businesses to the storied waterfront neighborhood of Red Hook, they also worried about everything from traffic to aesthetics.

"It's the proverbial double-edged sword," said building contractor Phil Forbes, who says he has lived in Red Hook for 28 years and owns his own home a few blocks from the store.

"It raises the value of the property. People will want to open businesses here," he said.

Yet he worried about more traffic, which had already become swollen after a Fairway supermarket opened along with a passenger boat terminal in recent years.

While Fairway blended in by converting an old brick coffee warehouse, Ikea kept true to its own-brand colors with a bright blue and yellow store that stands out among brick warehouses.