Amazon is reportedly expanding its family of physical bookstores into New York City.
The online retailer plans to open its sixth location—NYC's first—at the Time Warner Center near Central Park.
"We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to The Shops at Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center in New York City in 2017," a spokeswoman told PCMag. "Stay tuned for additional details down the road."
A 4,000-square-foot store is slated for a spring opening, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Time Warner Center did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
Amazon Books—a brick-and-mortar representation of the company's online store—is already open in San Diego, Portland (Ore.), and Seattle; another two locales are "coming soon" to Chicago and Dedham, Mass.
"Amazon Books is a store without walls," the retailer website says, suggesting folks "walk out of the store with a book or device; lighten your load and buy it online; download a book for your Kindle; or add a product to your Amazon Wish List, so someone else can buy it."
Books—selected based on customer ratings, pre-order sales, Goodreads popularity, and curator assessments—are positioned face-out on shelves, "so each can communicate its own essence," according to Amazon. Under each book is a review card with the online customer rating and an analysis.
Related
- Save on Ebooks With Goodreads DealsSave on Ebooks With Goodreads Deals
Devices from the Echo, Kindle, Fire tablet, and Fire TV lines are also available to test drive and buy in-store.
Amazon isn't the first to take advantage of New York City's increasingly vacant retail property market: Microsoft in 2015 opened its first flagship retail store on Fifth Avenue—just a few blocks from one of Apple's many Manhattan locations.
Nintendo, meanwhile, reopened its Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center in February, inviting fans to come visit the overhauled Mario Mecca. And Google popped up in the trendy SoHo neighborhood late last year; a limited-time shop showcased the company's new Pixel phones, Wi-Fi router, Home speaker, and Daydream VR.