This article appears in print in the November 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

When it comes to finding simple furniture staples and home accessories affordable enough to offset your more extravagant statement pieces, Ikea has been the obvious destination—until now. Australian retailer Anko opened its massive 18,000-square-foot flagship location in Lynnwood in April, preceded by much smaller pop-up shops in Bellevue and Mill Creek. Additional stores have followed in Burien and Totem Lake. 

The philosophy behind Anko is simple, says customer and community manager Morgan Fyfe. “We want to make shopping easy and affordable by providing products that are simply designed and easy to style.” To control costs, products are designed in-house and manufactured without a middleman. In addition to home items like angular bookshelves ($35), stylish tea towels ($3) and llama plant pots ($10), customers will find a curated selection of clothing, paper goods, party supplies, toys and even camping gear. For larger pieces of furniture and an overabundance of umlauts, there’s still Ikea.