IKEA is headed to Portland, and many Central Oregonians are expected to follow.

The Swedish home-furnishings retail phenomenon – which enjoys an almost cultlike following and lures some customers from hundreds of miles – announced plans Thursday for its first and only Oregon store. It will be at Cascade Station at the intersection of I-205 and Northeast Airport Way, near Portland International Airport.

Pending permits, construction would begin next spring with completion expected in spring 2007.

The company’s signature bright yellow and blue colors – representing the Swedish flag – will cover the 280,000-square-foot store. It will be built on approximately 19 acres, an area equal to roughly 38 football fields.

IKEA’s global annual sales are about $18.3 billion.

Some die-hard shoppers have been known to camp out for IKEA openings or drive six to 10 hours to shop at the giant stores that sell an inexpensive and wide range of items from live plants to mattresses to cookware, said Joseph Roth, director of public affairs.

Before IKEA opened a store outside Phoenix last year, for example, residents there were known to drive almost six hours to IKEA in San Diego.

A three-hour drive from Central Oregon will be short compared with the miles Idaho and California customers will voyage to shop at the store, Roth said.

”Folks in Northern California and Idaho have been anxiously awaiting an Oregon IKEA opening,” he said. ”We’re known for having a regional draw.”

IKEA Portland will have roughly 1,200 parking spaces, 75 bicycle racks and two light-rail stations to provide access for commuting workers and customers who can opt for home-delivery service.

In addition to the nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, IKEA Portland will feature four model homes, 50 room settings, a supervised children’s play area and a 250-seat restaurant serving American dishes and Swedish foods like meatballs with lingonberries or salmon plates.

The store will employ 350 people.

IKEA has major distributors in Northern California and Washington state, so the Portland store will connect the dots, Roth said.

”We looked at the top markets where we don’t have stores and the greater Portland market is compatible with our distribution area,” he said.

IKEA has 25 stores in the United States. Worldwide it has 225 stores in 33 countries.

Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in 1943, and the name comes from the first letters in Kamprad’s first and last names, plus the first letter of a farm he grew up on, Elmtaryd, and the name of its parish, Agunnaryd, in southern Sweden.