From Garage Startup to Global Giant: The Origin Story of Amazon
Many entrepreneurs dream of starting a business and building a loyal customer base to earn a comfortable living. But it’s hard to imagine even Jeff Bezos predicting that the small online bookstore he launched from his rented Bellevue home would someday evolve into a trillion-dollar company, making him one of the wealthiest people on Earth, with a net worth that has exceeded $180 billion in recent years.
It all began with a cross-country road trip and a bold vision for the internet.
Bezos famously drove from New York to Bellevue, Washington, with his wife MacKenzie at the wheel and his business plan scribbled out on a laptop and paper notes in his lap. During the trip, he mapped out the framework for what would become Amazon.com—a bold idea to build an “everything store,” starting first with books.
Amazon was officially founded on July 5, 1994, in Bellevue, Washington, under the name Cadabra, Inc. Jeff Bezos initially chose the name “Cadabra” as a nod to “abracadabra,” but his lawyer, Todd Tarbert, advised against it, fearing it sounded too much like “cadaver” over the phone.
Still brainstorming, Bezos registered several potential domain names including Awake.com, Browse.com, and Bookmall.com. In September 1994, he also secured the domain Relentless.com, which still redirects to Amazon today. Ultimately, inspired by the Amazon River (the largest in the world), he landed on Amazon.com, officially registering the name on November 1, 1994.
A Business Born in a Garage
The company’s first “office” was in a 1,540-square-foot rental home in Bellevue, where the garage served as both warehouse and workspace. It was within a few minutes’ drive of Lake Washington and the house is located within a five-minute drive of where Bill Gates lives on Lake Washington in Medina, Washington.
Bezos invested $10,000 of his own money to get started. But as the business grew, he needed more resources. In 1995, his parents—Jackie and Mike Bezos—invested $245,573 in Amazon. Jeff told them there was a high risk of failure, humorously warning them he still wanted to be welcome at Thanksgiving if things didn’t work out. They weren’t betting on a business, they were betting on Jeff.
From Bellevue to Seattle’s SoDo District
As operations expanded, Amazon quickly outgrew the garage. The team relocated above a Color Tile store in Seattle’s SoDo district, before moving a few blocks north, across from what is now the Starbucks world headquarters, near today’s Pecos Pit BBQ. These early office spaces were modest, but foundational in building Amazon’s infrastructure.
Amazon Today: From Books to Biospheres
Today, Amazon’s headquarters span multiple buildings in Seattle’s Denny Triangle and South Lake Union neighborhoods, employing tens of thousands. The Amazon Spheres, a trio of glass domes, serve as a lush workspace filled with over 40,000 plants from more than 30 countries. Designed to promote creativity and well-being, the Spheres house collaborative spaces rather than traditional offices or meeting rooms.
The company’s growth has been astronomical. As of 2024:
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Amazon employs over 1.5 million people worldwide
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Annual revenue exceeds $500 billion
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Its influence spans e-commerce, cloud computing (AWS), AI, streaming (Prime Video), grocery (Whole Foods), and logistics
And to think—it all started in a garage with a big idea, a small team, and a dream to become “Earth’s most customer-centric company.”
Photo above is the first planting in the biosphere, courtesy of the City of Seattle.
If you’d like to learn more about Amazon and our great city, take a tour with us on your next visit to Seattle.
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