• Ikea Delivery Alternative

  917-312-7401

  Ikea assembly instructions seem to inspire two reactions: a straightforward nod or utter bafflement. If you’re in the latter (and larger) group, Eric Rhea, of Ikea Delivery Alternative, will play driver, deliveryman, and technician. He charges $80 to bring you to the big blue store, then haul you and your purchases home. (That undercuts Ikea’s own $89 same-day-delivery service, which also requires that you order before 3 p.m.) What makes him stand out in a crowd of unofficial Ikeans, though, is his Titanium package: For $110, you simply choose photos from Ikea’s catalogue or website, and he’ll go get it all while you veg out. Add $35 per hour, and he’ll assemble it into actual 3-D furniture, with an efficiency that is positively Swedish.

From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine