Would you shop at an Amazon brick and mortar bookstore?

Amazon Books - Seattle

Would you shop at an Amazon brick and mortar bookstore if there were one within convenient driving distance of you?  It appears that the people of Portland, Oregon, are about to get the chance to make that decision.  If any city in the country might actually shun an Amazon bookstore, it's probably Portland, a city that prides itself on supporting independent retailers and is home to perhaps the largest independent bookstore in the world, Powell's.  (The new store is said to be slated for a Portland suburb called Tigard, Oregon.)

Personally, I would have to take a look at it out of curiosity, if for no other reason - and I'm sure that I'd grab a couple of dozen photos for use here on Book Chase.  But I have a fundamental problem with the idea of Amazon going wholesale into the brick and mortar bookstore business.  I understand that Amazon has every legal right to open up physical bookstores anywhere its management wants to place them.  But, let's face it, Amazon has already pretty much had the impact on used bookstores that Wal-Mart has had on small downtowns all across this country - they are now largely boarded up.  Are we, as consumers - and an economy - really better off as a result?

If you're curious, the Los Angeles Times says that the new bookstore would not look much like a traditional bookstore at all:

If Amazon's first store is any indication, the locations in San Diego and Tigard won't look much like regular bookstores. The Seattle store features fewer books than most retailers, with all the books' covers facing out. There are no prices listed on the books; shoppers have to use a scanner or a smartphone app to find out how much each item costs.

The Seattle store also sells electronics, such as Amazon's Kindle e-reader, Fire TV and earbuds.

That last bit about the Amazon store selling electronic gear such as Kindles, however, could be describing any Barnes & Noble location in the country if the word "Nook" were substituted for "Kindle."

So would you support an Amazon bookstore if one were plopped down in your area?  It might be a tougher call than you think.