Inside Wayfair’s massive first store, designed to give Ikea a run for its money

After two decades of selling furniture online, Wayfair opened its first physical store in Chicago.

Out in the northern Chicago suburbs, a new 150,0000-square-foot behemoth of a home goods store is giving Ikea a run for its money. 

The towering white and purple building, opened in late May and designed by the architecture firm Gensler, is Wayfair’s first large-format brick-and-mortar store. Since launching in 2002, the company has specialized in direct-to-consumer online retail, developing a reputation for carrying just about every sofa, side table, appliance, and tchotchke under the sun. In 2023, the company reported an end-of-year net revenue of $3.1 billion, and it currently boasts 30 million products on its website.