Taking the B61 Headcount

Is New York City Transit trying to get a sense of ridership on the B61 route, which terminates in Red Hook and is being extended to the new Ikea when it opens on Beard Street, or are they actually trying to gauge ridership in order to make independent service improvements? A reader emails to say:

I hardly ever take the B61 bus because I prefer walking rather than riding with 1000 other people, but I rode both to and from the A train today and there were MTA employees on board counting passengers each way. I’m assuming they’re trying to determine the usage so that when Ikea opens they’ll add more buses. Or at least I’m hoping thats the case. I’m curious if they’ve been on for longer than just today.

Anyone with a sense of this, please be in touch via a comment or email. In the meantime, think of all the people who have no idea what a B61 is who will come to know its unique joys in late summer. Extra points to the first person to bring a Billy Bookcase home to N. 10 Street in Williamsburg on the B61.

Red Hook Surprise: It’s an Ikea!

The ongoing mystery of what is happening on Beard Street in Red Hook has been solved: Signage indicates that it’s an Ikea. (If you are just tuning in to this program, which has been in progress for a number of years, just kidding. We realized this when the building started turning blue and yellow….) The store, which will have 500 jobs, is slated to open in summer, most likely in August.

Canadian Picked to Run Huge Ikea in Red Hook

The job of managing the massive Ikea in Red Hook has gone to a Canadian who has worked for the multinational retailer for 14 years, according to a press release issued yesterday, which notes that the massive store will open this summer (August has always been mentioned as the most likely date). Ikea is hiring 500 people to join its “Swedish family” at the store although it’s not clear how many will be Red Hook residents or Brooklynites. Many of the management jobs are expected to go to non-Brooklynites. The new top person is named Mike Baker and started with Ikea in North York, Ontario. A big part of Ikea’s public relations strategy was promising large numbers of jobs for Red Hook and Brooklyn residents. It gave Red Hook residents a two-week head start in applying for jobs, although it’s not clear how many applied and how many will be hired. If the news is good, there will no doubt be many press releases; if it is not, expect that the breakdown will be hard to get.

Red Hook #3: Removed Beard Street Paving Stones Reappear

Those who have mourned the demise of the paving stones torn out of Beard Street in Red Hook to make way for a smooth, paved street that can handle Ikea traffic can stop: the paving stones are back. They are not on the street, but rather on the sidewalk, alternating with spaces where trees will be planted. We noticed them when we were checking up on progress on Ikea and looked down to find something familiar next to the freshly-poured concrete. Given that a lot of paving stones were removed from about two blocks, one supposed they will be popping up in many places in front of and inside of the Ikea property. How one feels about this–good, bad or indifferent–will likely depend on how one feels about the dramatic change on Beard Street. Us, we loved the paving stones on Beard Street and love them on other Red Hook streets where they survive…for now.

Red Hook #2: Once Deserted Beard St. Gets Stop Light

We stopped and stared when we were taking photos on Beard Street and realized that a stoplight was being installed in front of what will be an entrance to the new Ikea. We will admit that this is an insignificant thing to many people, but it is a rather symbolic thing to those that recall the days when no cars drove down Beard Street and it was where driving schools took people to learn how to drive school buses and tractor trailers. (Red Hook is also a hugely popular spot for regular driving schools, but that is another story.) There is also some irony to those that recall the struggle to get a stoplight installed on Van Brunt Street. To that end, a Red Hook resident dropped us an email that is worth posting:

1) It took a fatality, two community protests, numerous serious accidents, and a year long study for DOT to put a stop light up at Wolcott and Van Brunt – across the street from a public school. Not so at Beard and Dwight, it seems. A light before traffic.

2) In the Norman Rockwellian nostalgia represented by September of 2006, my friends and I used to take a few beers and our ball gloves and play catch out on Beard Street on Sunday afternoon, with nary an interruption. Ah, those were the days.

So, you see, it’s not just a stoplight.

Red Hook #1: Ikea Seeking 500 Members for Its "Swedish Family"

Ikea sent press releases out everywhere yesterday “announcing” that it is accepting applications from the general public. The release said that Ikea “has begun the general recruitment process for its 1st New York City store, set to open Summer 2008 in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook.” Ikea had previously announced that it would only be accepting from Red Hook residents through February 4. Jobs for Red Hook residents were one of the retailer’s big selling points in generating community support for the controversial development, which generated some bitter opposition within Red Hook. The release noted that Ikea is filling 500 positions in the massive Red Hook store. A press release said that “Prospective coworkers are welcome to apply for the nearly 500 diverse positions in: home furnishings sales, interior decoration, customer service, safety and security, cashiers, maintenance, goods flow, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. Also, setting itself apart from other retailers in the area, IKEA Brooklyn will offer – among the 500 total positions to be hired for the store – approximately 80 food service opportunities in its Restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Café Bistro and coworker cafeteria.” The release was headlined “IKEA Seeking 500 to Join Swedish Family in Red Hook.” Here is some of what employees get:

IKEA places value and emphasis on coworkers’ personal lives and the importance of a work/life balance. Drawing from the company’s Swedish heritage, IKEA is committed to a flexible workplace that emphasizes a work/life balance and provides professional opportunities to people from all life situations. If an IKEA coworker needs to take time off to find a nursing home for an aging parent, be home to kiss their child before bed or have flexible scheduling to best juggle caring for a newborn, one can do so without worrying about risking their career aspirations. IKEA offers other family-friendly initiatives and diverse workplace benefits including full medical/dental insurance to coworkers working 20 hours or more per week with eligibility for domestic partners and children.

The full text of the press release can be found here. All of the feel good talk, and wisecracks about “family” aside, the proof of the firm’s value to Red Hook will be directly related to the number of residents they hire. We look forward to learning how many Red Hook residents are on their payroll and how many total Brooklynites are hired.

Ikea Hiring Starts February 4

Ikea has been taking applications from Red Hook residents for more than a week-and-a-half, having given them a three-week head start, but it sent out a release with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce yesterday that it will start general hiring for the Red Hook store on February 4. Some of the publicizing of job opportunities will be done through local community boards, but the application process will be online. The store is set to open sometime in summer with August being mentioned most frequently. Click here for instructions on how to access the company’s job listings. It is hiring for both positions that require skill levels and experience as well as some entry-level jobs. It is unclear how many jobs are being filled locally. Employment was one of the big selling points in the campaign to have the store approved.

Sign of the Times in Red Hook

The big lot next to the Red Hook Ikea is on the market. Actually, it has been for months, as these signs went up in November and we’ve had these pics on our hard drive forever. The property has an interesting history as people lived there for a while and it was also home to some of Red Hook’s wild dogs for a time. We caught a film shoot there in June. It is overgrown with wetland vegetation and a collection of graffiti and street art. It also has been the subject of the documentary. When all is said and done, it will probably end up as a big box retail neighbor of Ikea. Location. Location. Location.

Some Good News & Some Bad for Red Hook Ikea Job Seekers

The Red Hook Ikea started taking applications yesterday from Red Hook residents for positions at the sprawling store that will open on Beard Street in August. There is some good news and some bad news for residents with limited job experience or training. We went through Ikea’s job listings yesterday and found that the big retailer listed eight job categories for which residents get a three-week head start in applying. About half require very specific job experience, but several appear suitable for entry-level work, assuming the applicants have high school diplomas or GEDs. The eight categories are: Safety & Loss Prevention, Recovery Co-Workers, Food Service, Maintenance, Interior Design, Sales, Logistics and Customer Service. The jobs in Loss Prevention require 5-7 years of experience, Food Service requires 2-3 years food prep experience and certification from a culinary arts program, Maintenance jobs require knowledge of carpentry, plumbing and other trades and Logistics “Co-Workers” (who work in the warehouse) require some technical skills. This leaves Interior Design Jobs working with displays in the store, Sales positions and Customer Service. Interior Design jobs require computer literacy whereas the latter two require “computer aptitude.” All require HS diplomas or GEDs. It’s not known how many jobs Ikea is filling and how many are full-time and how many are part-time. Instructions on applying are in our earlier post. Ikea filled its management jobs, all of which required significant experience, with employees from outside the city.

Related Post:
Ikea Starts Hiring Next Week: Red Hook Residents Getting Three-Week “Head Start”

Ikea Hiring Starts Next Week: Red Hook Residents Getting Three-Week "Head Start"

Although the opening of the massive Ikea store on Beard Street in Red Hook has been delayed until August, the retailer is starting to hire and is taking job applications from Red Hook residents as of January 14. The Red Hook applications can only be submitted online. (The company has already filled about 20 management jobs, with people from as far away as California, Canada and Sweden and it advertised another 40 management jobs without giving residents a “head start.”) The possibility of hundreds of jobs for Red Hook residents was used by the retailer to generate support for the project in the neighborhood. As for the unspecified number of non-management jobs, applications from only the 11231 zip code will be accepted through February 4. There are two locations in Red Hook–Red Hook Rise and Red Hook Works–where applicants can use computers for free to file online job applications.

Per the retailer:

All applications must be submitted online. Beginning on January 14th, Red Hook residents can:
Log onto the IKEA website from any computer to apply: http://www.IKEA-USA.com

• Click on “Jobs” at the bottom of the page/screen
• Click “Apply Now” and then click on “Read More” under ‘National Jobs’
• Scroll down and accept IKEA Privacy Notice
• Click on “Search Openings”
• Under ‘Location,’ scroll down and click on “New York (Brooklyn)” or type “Brooklyn” into ‘Keyword’ and then click on “Search”
• Apply for whichever positions seem most appropriate
• You will be asked to either attach a resume or to input one using the associated resume-builder as part of the online application.

Red Hook Rise is at 480 Van Brunt Street on the second floor above the Fairway. It is open from 10AM-7PM Monday-Friday and from 12-5PM on Saturday and Sunday. Red Hook Works is at 252 Van Brunt and is open Monday-Friday from 10AM-5PM.

Several Ikea job sessions took place earlier this week. Additional ones are slated for January 15, 16 and 17. Only applicants that pre-register can attend. Call 718-596-1327 for the times, locations and to RSVP.