Amazon Opens Its First-Ever Physical Store, Selling Books on Paper, With a Side of Irony

Amazon, bookstore slayer, meet Amazon, bookstore owner.

The e-commerce giant known in many circles as the archenemy of brick-and-mortar stores — and bookstores, specifically — plans to open its first physical storefront in its history on Tuesday. The store’s name? Amazon Books. Yes, Amazon is opening a bookstore in its hometown of Seattle.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Amazon said that the physical store would use online customer reviews and other digital data to inform some of its inventory decisions. Amazon will display a review or rating for each of the 5,000 or so books on display. Prices will match those on Amazon.com.

“It’s data with heart,” Amazon Books VP Jennifer Cast told the paper.

To those bookstore owners and authors who blame Amazon for the demise of the neighborhood bookstore, though, the move is an ironic twist considering the company’s history as chief instigator of the digitization of reading and book selling. Unsurprisingly, the store will also showcase Amazon’s own line of e-readers, tablets and video-streaming devices.

Amazon Books opens at 9:30 am PT on Tuesday, at 4601 26th Ave. NE, at the the former Blue C Sushi location in Seattle’s University District.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you join us?

Our biggest supporters are our readers — and we’re so grateful to everyone who has made a contribution during our September campaign. We’re less than 1,000 contributions away from reaching our goal for the month, which in turn will allow us to say yes more often when our incredible journalists come to us with questions they want to answer and projects they want to pursue. Will you make a contribution before the month ends and support our policy coverage through 2024 and beyond?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via