For more than six decades, the iconic 160ft-tall star suspended from the Macy’s department store in downtown Seattle has been a central feature of the city’s annual winter holiday decorations. This year, however, the beloved piece of art was at risk of being lost forever – until it found an unlikely saviour.

Macy’s, which has been the home of the star and its 3,860 light bulbs for at least 14 years, was shutting its doors – seemingly ending the building’s 90-year history as a department store (it was previously home to the Bon Marché department store).

In the fall, a company spokesperson announced that it would not be lighting the star, which was in desperate need of repairs. Many in the community worried about the future of the holiday tradition, and the family of Bob James, who designed the piece, created a Save the Macy’s Star page on Facebook.

In the end, it was neither an art enthusiast nor a not-for-profit that stepped in to rescue the star – it was online mega-retailer Amazon. Days before Thanksgiving, it was revealed that the trillion-dollar company, headquartered in Seattle, which has more than 2,000 of its employees working out of six of the building’s eight stories, would spend $250,000 on the restoration of the star and its installation in time for the holidays.

Wendy James, 57, said she was ecstatic to hear the news about the star, which her father, Bob James, who died in 2011, designed while working in the display department at the Bon Marché. She said she sent an email to Amazon in the fall, asking the company to consider stepping in to save the piece of art. She had never received a response.

“I think this was a really good move for Amazon because they are big, big, big in this town and they needed to do something to kind of help us out with something other than making money,” she said.

The move was also celebrated by James Sido, media relations senior manager for the not-for-profit organization Downtown Seattle Association. He said the company helped save an important holiday tradition that brings together tens of thousands of community members each year in the heart of the city.

But at a time when bricks-and-mortar stores like Macy’s are fighting to stay relevant as consumers increasingly shift to shopping at Amazon and other online retailers, the irony of the goodwill gesture was not lost on some.

The building has long been seen as the epicenter for retail in Seattle, and now as its department store moves out and Amazon offices settle into the space, the change, literally and symbolically, speaks to a broader, nationwide shift.

Jeffrey Shulman, a University of Washington marketing professor who has researched Amazon’s impact and relationship with Seattle, explained that after innovating for over two decades, the tech company’s success has had an effect on Macy’s and other retailers. But its decision to save the star could be viewed in very different ways.

“On the one hand you could see kind of an irony and the symbolism of Amazon’s takeover, that they’re in the building where Macy’s was and they’re now paying for the star on the building,” he said. “On the other hand you could see it as, there’s change and Amazon’s kindly saving a bit of a history that’s important to the community in which they reside.”

According to a report by investment firm UBS, in the next seven years, as many as 75,000 clothing, electronics and furniture stores could close in the US as consumers increasingly shift to online shopping. Amazon accounted for at least 38% of US online commerce in 2019. By 2026, online shopping could account for a quarter of retail sales. Amazon disputes findings indicating that it’s contributing to the decline of bricks-and-mortar stores.

Of course, that doesn’t mean brick-and-mortar stores are going away anytime soon. The IHL Group, a research and advisory firm, recently offered a more positive take on the industry, reporting that in 2019 more retail stores opened than closed.

The real estate firm Starwood Capital Group, which bought the downtown Seattle building, has also agreed to pay about $250,000 to rebuild a new holiday star for the 2020 season, according to Amazon. The two companies also agreed that if Starwood ever quits installing the star, Amazon will take over.

It’s unclear what the street-level part of the building will be used for once Macy’s closes in February, but Amazon said it expects it be “dedicated to retail”.

This is not the first time Amazon’s influence on Seattle has extended beyond the bounds of the retail industry. In recent years, it has used its financial might to try to influence policy and elections.

Earlier this year, Amazon funneled $1.5m into the local city council elections through a political action committee that backed seven candidates considered to be business-friendly (only two of them won).

And last year, Amazon contributed financially to a campaign to kill the “head tax”, a per-employee tax on corporations making more than $20m each year. With more than 45,000 workers in Seattle, Amazon would have potentially had to pay millions each year through the tax. The tax was repealed.

“We’re seeing a more concerted effort to shape the city that they’re currently relying on to keep tens of thousands of their employees happy,” said Shulman.