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Amazon Books To Open Its First Chicago Location Next Year

By Ariel Cheung | August 25, 2016 1:59pm | Updated on August 25, 2016 3:30pm
 Amazon Books will open a brick-and-mortar location in the Southport Corridor next year.
Amazon Books will open a brick-and-mortar location in the Southport Corridor next year.
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LAKEVIEW — Amazon will open a brick-and-mortar bookstore on the Southport Corridor next year.

The online megastore confirmed that it will open an Amazon Books location at 3443 N. Southport Ave. in 2017, two years after its first retail outlet opened in Seattle.

At that time, Amazon pledged to keep bookstore prices the same as its online offerings and said it would stock the shelves with titles that get high rankings online from customers and the Goodreads review site.

Customers can also test out Amazon devices like Kindle, Echo, Fire TV and Fire tablets.

The first Amazon Books opened in Seattle in 2015. [Getty Images]

The Southport Corridor blog reported Wednesday that the bookstore would fill the former Mystic Celt space, 3443 N. Southport Ave. Amazon confirmed the news Thursday.

The blog cited rumors of the bar and grill's replacement, which has been a hot topic of discussion in Lakeview since Mystic Celt closed in January.

The 7,200-square-foot space is significantly smaller than well-known bookstore chains like Barnes and Noble and Borders.

One reviewer said the bookstore encouraged browsing in a cozy setting while removing concerns that customers can find better prices online.

Amazon will open a physical bookstore in Lakeview next year. [Getty Images]

Replacing a locally owned restaurant with an outpost of the most valuable retailer in the world — worth an estimated $250 billion — could disappoint neighbors who want to keep the Southport Corridor diverse.

RELATED: Can Southport Stay Charming, Or Will National Brands Drive Out Diversity?

Along with Amazon Books, Capital One is vying for a spot on the corridor for an expansion of its banking cafe chain.

Shortly after announcing its plans in July, though, Capital One hit a wall of opposition from the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, which said another bank could "zap the energy and impair the development of a more vibrant retail district."

Along with the Seattle and Chicago locations, Amazon Books plans to open in San Diego and Portland.

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