The announcement that IKEA will stop selling a shelf and replace it with a newer model has been met with a surprising uproar online.
IKEA’s “EXPEDIT” shelf is popular with record collectors and hundreds of them have shared their anger about the discontinuation on Twitter.
I just read that @DesignByIKEA is DISCONTINUING the Expedit shelves. Say it ain't so, guys!!
— Robyn Showers (@Robyn_says) February 20, 2014
The beloved shelf will be replaced with the “KALLAX” once all the EXPEDITs sell out. The KALLAX "has the same internal sizes and uses the same internal fittings," with rounded edges, an IKEA spokesperson told the Huffington Post.
The news was announced on IKEA’s German Facebook page, but soon spread online to fans worldwide.
So, ikea are going to pull the "expedit" shelves that take vinyl. Nooooo. pic.twitter.com/ahoBsoe2p3
— Philip Thompson (@gra_design) February 19, 2014
@AptTherapy IKEA discontinuing EXPEDIT is worse than the demise of Flappy Bird!!!
— Sara Collins (@saramadlyn) February 20, 2014
No more Expedit? Wow, end of an era: http://t.co/KmdENIGIQI #ikea
— Grace Bonney (@designsponge) February 19, 2014
Many vinyl enthusiasts say the shelf stores record perfectly so they have started a Facebook campaign to save the wall unit. There are more than 20,000 supporters on the week-old German campaign. More than 1,000 supporters have signed on with the American version of the effort, which was launched Tuesday.
The shelf has other uses too. On the Facebook campaign, Martina Alcock wrote, “It is the only shelf that is perfect for 12x12 scrapbook albums!”
Photo Credit: Getty Images