The planned opening of Colorado’s first IKEA store may be nearly a year away, but IKEA-mania is already sweeping the metro area.

Fans of the retailer can follow the Centennial store’s progress and commune with other enthusiasts at ColoradoIKEAfans.com, a fan website with no official ties to the corporation it promotes.

ColoradoIKEAfans has logged more than 43,000 visits since October 2008.

“I was so excited when IKEA announced that they were going to build here. I thought, well, I’m sure some other people will be interested too,” web developer David Golias said.

Within days of the store’s announcement, Golias, a Centennial resident who lives less than two miles from the construction site, had designed and launched the website for fans of the Swedish furniture specialist.

“I was just enamored of how IKEA’s retail process works and the products that they have,” he explained. “When I travel on business, I always try to stop at an IKEA store, if it’s available.”

Among other things, the site boasts Golias’ blog, photos updating the construction’s progress and a collection of IKEA’s press releases. Other features run the gamut — from warnings about an IKEA gift-card scam to directions on how to make an IKEA plate bird feeder.

A website centerpiece are two clocks counting down to IKEA’s planned opening in fall 2011. Because no specific date has been announced, the first clock counts down to the first day of fall, the second counts down to the last.

The 415,000-square-foot store built on 13.5 acres will include two levels each of shopping and parking. The store’s iconic blue panels are expected to attract I-25 traffic to the Dry Creek Road and County Line Road exits.

Golias made his first visit to an IKEA store in Philadelphia in the 1980s. That and subsequent visits to Sacramento and Atlanta inspired his energies. The distinctive Swedish retailer is more than just a store, Golias explains.

“It’s an experience that you go through,” he said. “They literally have home settings inside — a 500-square-foot apartment, as an example. There’s also a restaurant that comes with it. So it’s almost like a destination.”

Golias’s web presence has caught the attention of IKEA officials, who have encouraged the free publicity by inviting the designer to the IKEA groundbreaking and offering individualized tours of the construction site.

Although previous IKEA openings have been known to attract hardcore fans willing to endure the elements, Golias, despite his unwavering enthusiasm, does not expect to be there with a sleeping bag when IKEA Centennial opens its doors.

“But I don’t doubt that there will be a line of people that will be camping out to be the first in the store,” he said. “It’s a major deal when it opens up. It really is.”