Amazon’s first brick-and-mortar store on the East Coast opened Saturday in Dedham, Massachusetts, but the launch is not good news for a mom and pop store.
Amazon's first brick-and-mortar store on the East Coast opened Saturday in Dedham, Massachusetts, but the launch is not good news for a mom and pop store.
The Blue Bunny has been a fixture on High Street in Dedham for more than a decade.
Owner Peter Reynolds says his store is now threatened by the addition of the new Amazon bookstore about a mile away.
"They cut the prices so low that it's really easy to click and have things delivered," said Reynolds, referring to Amazon's low prices. "Running a brick and mortar store, it's expensive."
Amazon's store at the Legacy Place has thousand of titles, according to spokesperson Deborah Bass.
"It's a highly curated collection of titles, about 5,700 books are featured in this store," said Bass. "This is our first location on the East Coast, first for the Boston area, and the first for Massachusetts and it's also the first location that offers a coffee shop inside the bookstore."
Reynolds hopes his bookstore, which now has a cafe, will still be considered a destination place. He said he has already received letters of support.
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"I think it's a very American experience — a tradition and something we need to protect, an endangered species and you have to work at it," said Reynolds.
In addition to the store, Reynolds also writes and illustrates his own children's books.
Teacher Mike Plunkett says he'll go to both stores but appreciates the new Amazon in town.
"I will go there, I miss Borders very much," said Plunkett. "I'm an English teacher and I miss having a bookstore in the neighborhood."
Reynolds says he knows his customers, something he believes larger outfits can't compete with.
"We know them by name, we know their kids, we know what they like and we can suggest things," he said.
