Amazon To Open Physical Bookstore In Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, DC — Amazon, the online retail giant with plans to develop an army of delivery drones to drop boxes off in front of your door, will open a brick-and-mortar bookstore on M Street in Georgetown, according to The Washington Post. The store will take over the former Barney's New York at 3040 M St.

If you're confused by the idea of Amazon opening a real-live, physical bookstore, you're not alone. Amazon has only started to pursue this strategy in the last couple of years, and has opened stores in just three other cities: San Diego, Seattle and Portland.

Amazon describes its bookstores as "a physical extension of Amazon.com," which "integrates the benefits of offline and online shopping to help you find books and devices you’ll love," according to its website. The books are displayed facing outward to "communicate its own essence," and they are selected based on customer ratings and sales numbers on Amazon.com.

The 10,000 square foot Georgetown store will be neighbors with Nike, which was previously a Barnes & Noble. There's no word on when exactly the Georgetown store will open. Amazon also plans to open bookstores in New York City, Chicago and Dedham, Massachusetts — a town near Boston.

See The Washington Post story here.

>> Additional Reporting by Patch Editor Brendan Krisel

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