In what may be a sign that 2012 really is the year of the apocalypse, revered online retailer Amazon is rumored to be opening a brick-and-mortar retail store.

The site Good Ereader reports that sources "close to the situation" say Amazon will open up a single store in the Seattle area (Amazon is based in Seattle). Amazon apparently plans to open it early enough to capitalize on the lucrative holiday season.

Intended to be more of a boutique than a big box, the Amazon store would mainly be a place where shoppers can buy Kindle ereaders, tablets and their related accessories as well as other "high margin" items. The design of the store, said to be contracted through a shell company, is apparently modeled after the Apple Store.

Amazon's store will also stock physical books that are exclusive to Amazon. The company launched its own publishing division last May, but any independent authors that join are shut out of major retail bookstores like Barnes & Noble. The Amazon store would give their books a place to appear on actual shelves.

If the report is true, the store would be a strange move for a company synonymous with the efficiency and convenience of online retail. Not having to deal with the overhead costs of maintaining a network of stores is the key ingredient to how Amazon stays so competitive. More than that, opening a retail store is a kind of philosophical throwback for the company — akin to Google creating a microfiche search service.

However, the report cites some factors that led to the decision. The war Amazon's been fighting over sales tax features prominently. Many states have been moving toward requiring Amazon to pay sales tax on purchases made in that state, something online retailers have been traditionally exempt from. if Amazon is going to be forced to charge sales tax whether or not it operates a retail establishment in a particular state, then there's less reason to hold back.

Amazon is said to be testing the waters here, seeing if a chain of small boutique stores would be profitable. With the first store, the company will both get valuable experience in running a retail establishment as well as get feedback on what customers would expect from an Amazon store.

No need to wait for the store to open, though — sound off now. What would you like to see from an Amazon retail store? Let us know in the comments.

Image by Rico Mossesgeld, Technograph