[title]
I moved from Crown Heights to Bushwick almost two months ago. My new apartment is clean and tastefully laid out. But many things are missing, among them a dresser.
There was once a dresser. It was wide, white and beautiful. I destroyed that dresser in a fit of blind rage when I realized that I had installed the drawers upside down and that the metal of its screws were too stripped to fix. There were hammers and grunts and shreds of wood on the floor. (I tell myself that it was an act of healing.) Now, all my clothes and books are stacked hideously in the corner of the room. Men just love sleeping at my place!
In a partnership that’s too late for myself and others frustrated by the Swedish chain, Ikea and TaskRabbit have announced that they are teaming up for the ultimate vertical integration. You can now order Ikea furniture and book next-day TaskRabbit assembly at once. Payment for the assembly is based on the furniture and the Rabbit's flat rate, and you pay once everything is built and completed.
The service is currently available at Ikea's Red Hook location, as well as its suburban locations on Long Island and in Elizabeth and Paramus, New Jersey. Shoppers can either link up with a TaskRabbit assistant in the store or online.
Though visiting Ikea can strip you of your humanity, leaving nothing left but the skin on your bones, building furniture can be (sometimes) fun, provided you don't screw it up like I did. I had a fabulous time trying to watch that Versace show while successfully assembling a couch and coffee table. But the new partnership ought to save plenty of New Yorkers a lot of frustration. Also, I still haven't nailed in my mezuzah. Can someone help me with that?
I'm picturing the start of a romantic comedy meet-cute—for myself. Harried, tragically beautiful magazine editor gives up on furniture assembly forever. But can one smoking-hot, Swedish-speaking TaskRabbit open his heart once more to affordable bookshelves...and love?
Only time will tell.
Sign up to receive great Time Out deals in your inbox each day.