Amazon to Open Columbus Circle Physical Bookstore in 2017

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — 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 this year in Columbus Circle, a company spokeswoman confirmed with Patch.

The new Amazon Bookstore will be located in The Shops at Columbus Circle at the Time Warner Center, which currently boasts retailers such as Sephora, Bose and Whole Foods, according to the spokeswoman.

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 Amazon spokeswoman said the company is "excited" to open its bookstore in the Time Warner Center in 2017, but did not confirm exactly when the store would be opening. The spokeswoman also did not answer whether the store would be staffed with human beings — as opposed to the Amazon Go store concept which tracks customers via an app and charges shoppers as they grab and go.

The spokeswoman told Patch that Amazon will release more details about the store sometime in the future, but did not specify when.

Amazon currently operates three physical bookstores in Portland, Seattle and San Diego, California. The retailer has planned locations to open in Chicago and in Dedham, Massachusetts — a town near Boston.

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