Blame the people or blame the media, but Portland has acquired a reputation as a haven for the slightly off-kilter and the anti-mainstream. Cliches, like rules, are made to be broken, and it’s too fitting that Amazon is the one to do it.
Fortune is reporting that sources have confirmed Amazon’s intentions to open a third brick-and-mortar bookstore in Portland, Oregon. This would complement Amazon’s first such store in Seattle and another in San Diego, with the Portland store eventually taking up residence in the Washington Square Mall on the city’s perimeter.
“We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to Washington Square, and we are currently hiring store managers and associates,” the Amazon source told Fortune. “Stay tuned for additional details down the road.”
The official announcement of a third physical bookstore for Amazon raises more questions than it does answers, chief among them – just how far into B&M retail is the online giant willing to delve? There were rumors and retracted comments from industry observers about the hundreds of imminent bookstores Amazon was set to unleash, but the pace of Amazon’s expansion doesn’t seem to be so severe just yet.
It’s important, though, to keep in mind that Amazon’s objectives in opening B&M stores may not be the same sales-focused ones that motivate other merchants. If a particular demographic area looks like it contains the kind of consumer data it craves, Amazon of all companies has the resources to plop a bookstore down and mine the results.
