Amazon Could Open Real-Life Book Store in Ironic Plot Twist

After helping to put many brick and mortar bookstores out of business with its popular Kindle e-Reader and online bookselling website, Amazon may be opening its first physical bookstore according to an industry blogger.

"Amazon sources close to the situation have told us that the company is planning on rolling out a retail store in Seattle within the next few months," wrote Michael Kozlowski on Good E-Reader, scooping major business publications on the story.

What's especially ironic is that the same company who helped bankrupt the behemoth Borders chain could soon be hanging its shingle in suburban shopping malls.

The report states the store will be more similar to a boutique retail store than a warehouse full of bargain books. It will primarily focus on selling Kindle e-Readers and Kindle Fires, as well as their accessories, such as fancy cases.

Forbes writer Eric Savitz took the news with a grain of salt, noting that rumors of Amazon opening a physical store have popped up in the press before

Still, the idea of a company who got its start online and reverse commuted to becoming a brick-and-mortar business is intriguing.

One could argue the apple doesn't fall far from the tree since Apple has had success with being a real-world retailer in recent years. HuffPo noted the tech giant "has hundreds of its own glitzy stores to show off iPhones, iPads and other gadgets and accessories."

But if Amazon follows suit and opens its own stream of stores, will anyone shop there? Unlike the "Field of Dreams" ("If you build it, they will come"), the public may not buy into an Amazon experience that doesn't involve mouse clicking in their pajamas or web surfing at the office.

* "How silly, the best part of #Amazon is that it's online RT," tweeted Nat Vegel @Nat_225.

* "(I) must be missing the point here but why is #amazon building a store," wondered R Ray Wang @rwang0

Whether Amazon will actually go local this time has not been confirmed, but the company has been pretty smart about staying on top of trends so far. The online giant expanded its business model beyond books and now sells everything from toasters to toilet paper. It has also made a mint on its popular impulse-buy feature "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought . . . ." And last fall it sliced into Apple's iPad profits with the release of its much cheaper Kindle Fire tablet.

With the possible opening of its first retail store, the Seattle-based company could soon have other online sellers singing along to the tune of "Let's Get Physical."