When their mother was alive, Jennelle Cusumano and her two sisters would sit with her and play Yahtzee.

That's what the three Missouri residents did in 2015 when they camped for days in the hopes of winning free furniture when Ikea opened in St. Louis.

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Cusumano, who is retired, and her sisters hoped to recreate that experience, this time in Fishers before Ikea's opening at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

"We had such a wonderful time, we wanted to do it again," Cusumano said. "We just like the camping out, getting away from our husbands for two days."

The three were part of the crowd of more than 150 people who lined up at 9 a.m. Monday at the door of Ikea Fishers in hopes of scoring a free EKTORP sofa (for the first 45 people) or a free chair (for the next 100). Customers weren't allowed to show up earlier than the 48 hours before the opening, but many camped in their cars overnight outside Ikea's parking lot at the 116th Street exit of I-69.

Cusumano arrived about 5 a.m. Monday morning and secured the first spot in line when the parking lot opened. One of her sisters landed No. 8, and the third got 61. They all have plans to give their free furniture to other family members, but it isn't really about that.

In fact, for many people in line, it isn't about the free couches or chairs.

"Oh, it's not about the free furniture," said Sarah Whitesel, Anderson, who was in line with her 1-year-old daughter Juliette. "It's about the experience."

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Nurse Patty Sales came with two friends from Lafayette in hopes of landing a couch. Like others, though, she planned to give it to a family member who needs it.

Sales landed in the 35th spot.

"Not that we even want the couch," she laughed. "I've got a 17-year-old daughter who's moving out in three months, so I'm going to give it to her. It's just for the experience and the fun of it. Used to, when we were teenagers, we would do it for concerts, so why not do it for something else?"

Sales isn't worried about passing the time. Ikea allows campers to use bathrooms and provides water and a phone charging.

"We're good," she said.

Andy Meyer, 31, Fishers, said he "just walked in" and got his spot near the back of the line. The middle-school science teacher is on fall break, and, like so many out there Monday morning, did it for the experience, "not for the couch."

Meyer, an experienced backpacker, came armed with food, a gallon of orange juice, a change of clothes and rain gear.

"It seemed like a wacky kind of camping trip," he said. "Festival seating for concerts isn't really a thing anymore. People don't spend five days camping out for rock concert tickets."

Some in line thought a man who had been waiting much longer deserved that first spot. The man, who declined to be interviewed, had been waiting in his pick-up truck since 9 a.m. Sunday morning — a full 24 hours before the parking lot opened.

There was some confusion over where cars could park and what entrances were to be used, many customers said. The result meant some people who waited overnight were in line behind those who waited a few hours.

At the behest of the crowd, the man took the first spot in line, bumping Cusumano and the rest back a spot. But they didn't mind.

"I'm glad they did that for him," Cusumano said.

Ikea loyalty manager Lesa Grant said Ikea's rules for lining up were publicized and didn't change. She said the company isn't responsible for anything that happens outside the Ikea parking lot.

Even so, Grant said they wanted to honor the request of their customers and allowed the man to move up.

"It's Hoosier hospitality at its finest," she said.

By 10 a.m., the first 45 in line were setting up their homes for the next two days: Tents, sleeping bags, snacks like licorice, granola bars, board games, cards and, yes, Yahtzee.

Cusumano and her sisters will probably make Ikea camping a tradition, she suspects.

"We want to start following the Ikeas around the United States as they open," she said.

Ikea's grand opening

When: Doors open at 9 a.m. Oct.11. Regular store hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Where: 11400 Ikea Way, Fishers, near the 116th Street exit of I-69.

Festivities: Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, company executives and state officials to give remarks. But they won't get to cut ribbons for the cameras. Log-sawing, rather than ribbon-cutting, is part of the Ikea tradition.

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.