Amazon opens its first bookstore as extension of website

SEATTLE (AP) — Online retail giant Amazon opened its first brick-and-mortar bookstore on Tuesday, two decades after it began selling books over the Internet and helped drive a number of shops out of business.

The Seattle store, Amazon Books, will be a physical extension of the company website, combining the benefits of online pricing with traditional book shopping, the company said in a statement.

It will offer as many as 6,000 top-rated titles, culled from Amazon.com customer ratings, sales, pre-orders and other factors.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The Seattle-based company did not explain its strategy in opening the store or say whether it would open more retail locations.

Amazon Books vice president Jennifer Cast told The Seattle Times, “We hope this is not our only one. But we’ll see.”

The first shoppers found displays of books with cards containing ratings and reviews. Amazon said it wanted shoppers to walk out with books or later purchase their picks online.

Kenneth Yoder, 58, a Seattle concierge, was among the first in line when the wood and glass doors opened at the upscale outdoor shopping center in north Seattle that’s also the site of Apple and Microsoft stores.

“I’m excited to physically look and see what the selection is like,” said Yoder, who buys books online and in stores.

Others scratched their heads over the irony of the physical location because Amazon is seen by some as one reason so many independent and other booksellers have gone out of business in recent years.

“They’re the dominant retailer in the country, and they kind of got there by playing real hard ball,” said John Mutter, editor-in-chief of the book trade newsletter Shelf Awareness. “They are considered the Darth Vader of the business because they play really brutally.”

Yet the store makes sense because it was a missing part of the company’s book business, Mutter said.

Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst with Forrester Research, said the store appears to be an experiment to see what the company can learn.

“If they sell books, awesome. Even if they don’t sell books, there’s a lot to learn about how people discover products, how they shop for products,” Mulpuru said. “Does a physical store increase your likelihood to spend with Amazon in general? Does it make you more loyal to Amazon?”

Peter Aaron, owner of Seattle’s independent Elliott Bay Book Co., which offers about 160,000 books, said he wasn’t sure what to make of the move by the online retailer.

“I can’t imagine that there would be any profit, especially if their pricing is identical to the prices online, given rent and staffing,” he added.

___

AP photographer Elaine M. Thompson contributed to this report.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 15

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A storage shed on Meadow Lane catches fire Monday morning. (Photo by Chelsea Stonex)
Storage shed fire spreads to two vehicles, causing explosion, but no injuries reported

Two homes on Meadow Lane suffer broken windows and other damage, according to CCFR.

A 2.9-acre plot of land donated to Huna Totem Corp. by Norwegian Cruise Line is the site for the proposed Aak’w Landing private cruise ship dock. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Amendments to Huna Totem’s proposed private cruise dock to be taken up Monday night by the Assembly

A dozen proposals seek limits on ship size, fines for violations, setting various operational goals.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Saturday, March 15, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Friday, March 14, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, March 13, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

‘Wáats’asdiyei Joe Yates, Raye Lankford, X̱’unei Lance Twitchell and Rochelle Adams pose with the Children’s and Family Emmy Award award Lankford and Twitchell won for co-writing the an episode of the PBS animated children’s show “Molly of Denali.” (Photo courtesy of ‘Wáats’asdiyei Joe Yates)
‘Molly of Denali’ episode wins best writing honor at 2025 Children’s and Family Emmy Awards

First Emmy win for animated PBS show goes to episode co-writers X̱’unei Lance Twitchell and Raye Lankford.

The Tlingit and Haida Elders Group performs the entrance dance at the 89th annual Tribal Assembly of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Trump rescinds Biden executive order expanding tribal sovereignty and self-governance

Order giving Natives more access to federal funds cited in awarding of major Southeast Alaska projects.

The House Finance Committee listens to public testimony about next year’s proposed budget on Friday at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
The Alaska House budget currently has a ‘full’ PFD of about $3,800. Except it really doesn’t.

Legislators on all sides agree PFD will shrink drastically before floor vote to avoid $2 billion deficit.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Juneau Empire relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in