Amazon plans to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Atlanta, according to an application filed with the city Tuesday.
The Amazon Books filing calls for 4,913 square feet of space at 3393 Peachtree Road, Lenox Square Mall's address. The cost to build out an existing space is listed as $1,468,765.
Simon Property Group, the owner of Lenox Square Mall, does not comment on “any rumored or potential retailers until a lease is fully executed,” according to a spokeswoman.
The first Amazon Books opened in the company's founding city, Seattle, in 2015. Seven states now house physical bookstores from the e-commerce business, but none of them are in the Southeast. The stores also sell electronic devices.
Amazon's website says books at the stores are displayed face-out on the shelves "so each can communicate its own essence" — mirroring the online version's aesthetic — instead of by their spines. The retail giant's continued foray into the physical world will be closely watched by the book industry, as many independent book stores have closed in recent years, partially due to what's been called the "Amazon-ization" of America.
Plans for the store were filed the same day Amazon said it will open a new "fulfillment center" in Macon. Georgia is also on the hunt for Amazon's second headquarters, a 50,000-job bonanza sought by more than 200 cities across North America.
Other recent ventures from the company include its mobile store Treasure Truck, the acquisition of Whole Foods, and Instant Pickup, which lets Prime members pick up things like snacks, cold drinks or phone chargers within two minutes of ordering them online.
