Amazon is opening a physical bookstore that has one key difference from traditional shops.
Amazon is opening a physical store in Seattle called “Amazon Books,” its first real-world retail store for books since the company’s inception in 1997.
One key difference from traditional book stores is that books will be arranged so that their covers face out, rather than with their spines showing. It’s an interesting decision since stacking books this way takes up more room. The opening of a brick-and-mortar store shows that people still like the idea of browsing a book shop, despite the popularity of Kindles and other e-readers. Sales of physical books actually gained momentum in 2015, according to figures compiled by The Guardian.
The store, which Amazon says is not a pop-up, is located in Seattle’s University Village.