Powell's City of Books
Category: Bookstores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown1005 W Burnside St
Portland, OR 97209 (503) 228-4651
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
293 Reviews for Powell's City of Books
First of all I love bookstores. But to have such a wonderful landmark near my home is great. The selection is huge. And you can buy and sell used books!
I don't have any complaints about Powells. It's part of the reason I decided to settle in Portland for my collegiate years (Lewis & Clark College, 1995-1999). I would agree that there's not a lot of places to sit outside the coffee room, but regulars to Powells get really good at reading while standing up or crouching.
It is worth mentioning that it is a great spot for people-watching. For example, this past weekend, I was sitting in the coffee room, reading a random chapter from Mary Roach's new book "Bonk", and sitting next to me was a father visiting from out-of-town and his son, clearly stressed by having his parents visiting from out-of-town. The parent and son were trying to work out the schedule for that evening and the following Sunday (Mother's Day) and while neither of them raised their voice, there was tension, or what I call "I love you, please leave."
Then there was the man with the enormous cowboy hat (I'm guessing from out-of-town given the enormous cowboy hat and southern accent). He walked past an on-sale copy of "Brave New World" and read the title out loud. "Welcome to Portland," his friend replied.
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Powell's is a modern marvel. A wonder of the modern world. Heck, it even dwarfs Acres of Books in Long Beach which is no easy feat
The music section (Pearl Room?) is incredible, the magazine selection is large, though not overwhelming and the prices are just what they should be.
Each time I stop in I find books that I have never even seen before.
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My favorite place in Portland! I always make a stop here whenever I visit. Powell's is definitely one of the best bookstores in the country.
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A labyrinth of books. I love to wander in and out the gold, red, and blue rooms. The smell of old and new. It's a great place, in my opinion, the best bookstore EVER.
Everytime I'm in Portland, my wallet shivers because it knows where the bulk of its $$ is going.
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I didn't read all 200+ posts about Powell's but I feel like if anyone disses this place, they deserve to be banned from yelplandia. You're either with me or against me.
I went to Powell's today, a Saturday, and it was packed and just teeming with happy lively people. Where else can you pack so many people together into one place and feel so proud and joyous to be human? Not Disneyland. Not Henry's at happy hour. A Timbers game, maybe.
I heard someone at Powell's on his cell phone today, in an aisle, saying, "Jill and I are at Powell's...we'll be here for a few hours or so. Call you when we leave." A few hours spent in a bookstore on a Saturday afternoon. Aah, Portlanders, your non-mainstream values never cease to astound me. In the words of a bumper sticker you can find in the gift section of Powell's : Fight Prime Time, Read a Book!
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I was in Portland in September - a sort of look-see in the future evolution of my impending move to this fantastic city. Now, don't misunderstand: there's a great many things to dig about this place. (I knew I was right all along!) But even If it was full of right-wing politicos fueling their cars on human blood, I would STILL have to consider moving there for the simple fact of Powell's City of Books.
Granted, I'm a bit biased. Almost any book-lined shelf does me in; but this is an entire city block full! And that's just one location. Numerous other, specialty locations dot the surrounding area (see gardening and technical)
Upon walking in the front door, however, I had a visceral reaction - similar to that produced by the combination of desire with certainty... heart aflutter, a little band of centipedes running amok in my chest.
odd? yes, and lovely.
Armed with a fold-out map, I grabbed a chai in the cafe and made my way to the literature and poetry of the Blue Room (color-coded floors and rooms denote genre and subject) New books rub elbows with rare and used books. They sidle up to each other in wooden pews ceiling high...
And this? This is where I got lost for about two hours...67,000 square feet of books, and I see 4 aisles before having to leave. Do I feel shortchanged? No way. Rather, I'm geeked. So much to see when I roll into town...My favorite place in Portland so far...mos def.
I only wonder about Powell's Residential...I mean, lofts, apartments, a trailer out back with a bucket for a step? There's at least cots on site, right?
Because I'm in. And looking forward to this long, long walk.
It is the book lover's heaven! Books EVERYWHERE, top to bottom and I loved it. I could easily spend couple hours just walking around drooling and amazed by the number of books. We walked around and went through the pink room, gold room, blue room... going up stairs and ended up at the travel section. It was like a UN conference there!! Books about countries/regions that I can ever think of, rows after rows... it was truly amazing. We ended up with buying books for our next trip to Nova Scotia.
What an enticing and energizing place it is :D
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Powell's is my new favorite place.
I'm glad I didn't have any money on me when I visited this establishment because I know I would have walked out without any of it left and a heap of books. The selections and the different rooms filled with all kinds of different stuff! I spent forever in there! And the souvenirs to take home are also really cute, hooray for the cool and affordable shirts :) I'd imagine it's easy to spend hours upon hours in here on any given day.
And even if you aren't a huge reader (like myself) you can still appreciate Powell's in all it's glory.
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Excellent selection of contemporary and classic work. I have not been to a book store this ginormous. I was impressed and could spend hours in there getting lost amongst the literature, photography and travel books.
I also really liked their small gallery which they use to showcase different artists.
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Geek it out!
Pals said that I had to check out Powell's. I'm cool with books. I'm not scurred of them. I am literate. I go through my books and magazine phases. If I lived in Portland, I'd be continually reading and reading and reading.
I love this store and all the knickknacks and toys and stuff. You will find something you like here. Dude, and there's like 5 floors? CRAZY.
I bought a Nalgene bottle that has all of Portland's bridges shown. Kinda cool for working out.
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Everyone has said what needs to be said.
BUT here is one more morsel...
Cheap night out? Go to the free book readings. Great environment, usually a pretty interesting group of authors and listeners and a coffee shop downstair for expounding.
Makes you feel all edumacated...
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This has to be the BEST bookstore on the face of the earth next to Foyles in London.
I could easily spend several hours in the art section alone.
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Dude, this place rocks!
I had to drag my wife out of the architecture section because it was a nice day, and I don't want to spend what could be our only day of sunshine inside a bookstore, no matter how awesome it is!
The selection is absolutely amazing! I feel like I am inside of amazon.com, with any selection you want at your fingertips instead of a mouse click. Desiree (said wife) was able to pick up 4 of design books (used) that would have normally cost close to $150! Walked out only dropping $32.
I'll probably drop some more props tomorrow, as the only way I was able to pull Des out of there was with the promise to return before our departure!
Read On!!!
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I spent about three hours here -- am in love. Can you be in love with a bookstore? hmm.
I brought an extra suitcase just for books from Powell's. It did not disappoint!! I found a book on the birds of Western Africa that I need for an upcoming trip to Africa.
Phenomenal!
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I wanted my 250th review to be about someplace special. A place I consider practically the definition of Portland -- Powell's City of Books.
In the mid 90s when my husband and I were deciding whether to relocate to Portland, this was one of our first stops. And funnily enough almost all of my subsequent visits have been with out-of-towners. It is one of Portland's landmarks and a very dangerous place if you love books.
When I returned this weekend, after a long absence, I was shocked to discover that Powell's was founded in 1971. It just seems like one of those places that has been around forever and (I hope) always will be. I was also comforted by the fact that everything looked the way I remembered it. No fancy, schmancy remodels here.
I spent most of my time (I gave myself a time limit) in the Red and Purple rooms. I was trying to find a few specific things and the staff was quick and helpful and didn't need to refer to anything on-line. They just immediately knew where everything was. I tend to pick an author and then read everything they've written, and in most book stores they only carry a fraction of an author's work. At Powell's they carry everything. So cool.
There is a huge selection of children's books, including vintage items, that you just don't find other places. And so many choices of those insanely cute Timbuk2 messenger bags, which are on my current crush list, and probably the entire line of Knock Knock products (goofy lists and notes).
The check out line moved swiftly and I was interested to see they take six foreign currencies for payment. I also had to pick up one of the Powell's t-shirts to show my Portland pride when I travel.
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I visit Powells every time I go to PDX. So I had to drag the man when we visited. He scored a signed copy of a book has been wanting for $8.50 and another out of the used section for $2. This made his trip. Do you know how many knitting books Powell's carries? It is over whelming!
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I feel like I can't do a review of Powell's justice because I didn't stay for too long. I can see, however, how one could spent countless hours within its walls. This place is literally a city of books. It puts Barnes and Borders to shame, frankly. I was a little intimidated walking into the store, having no idea what to look at first. But then I finally thought of something - books...go figure.
In a sense, it's like going into the most massive college bookstore you've ever seen, only because they shelve new and used books together, a huge plus. Had my trip been longer, I would have revisited for round two. I was happy to see that there was a Powell's at PDX because I thought I could spend my 3 hours waiting on standby there, but of course, they're closed for remodel. I guess I'll just have to get my jollies at Powell's the next time I fly in. If anything, visit just to say you did. It seems that it's a definitive part of Portland culture.
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pretty awesome place for sheer selection. i was looking for some pretty obscure travel books and sure enough they had them both.
the downside is the lack of seating, sometimes a sista just wants to take a load off and scan the book first before committing; and should i even get started on the parking? course i am a lazy ass and would prefer to park immediately in front of the building instead of trekking in.
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To be honest I didn't spend much time in here, but it's for a good reason: I knew that if I stayed I'd be paying the $75 overweight fee for my suitcase when i go home. This store is like a maze and I kind of worried that, nevermind not WANTING to leave, I wouldn't be ABLE to leave. It was pretty incredible. I really, really, really, really wish we had a Powell's in DC. My only complaint was that I could only find one key for how the store was organized, and that was by the door. I might have missed the others. It would have been nice, though, to not have to go back to the entrance to figure out where I wanted to go next. The organization is not intuitive, which is fine if you're in there to browse for hours, but it was confusing for a newbie like myself.
Ok I lied, I have one more complaint: I didn't see all that many used books compared with the number of new ones, and the used books I did find were kind of pricey. A second-hand paperback in poor (and I mean really poor) condition should not, under any circumstances, be $8. Yes, it's half off the original price, but still. $8!
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My Classics graduate brother wanted a version of the Iliad with Greek on one side and English on the other for christmas, so he could compare his own translation line for line.
I went on the search starting around Thanksgiving. I looked in Strand in New York, Mel's in Berkeley, and every major bookstore in LA and came up only with what appeared to be Greek to German. He speaks German, so I figured this would work, and he liked the book, but it was commentary rather than a translation.
Four months later, I find an entire section in Powell's Classics area devoted to Greek/English line for line translated classics. Thanks to Powell's, I am now the coolest sister I know.
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I guess it's about time I put in my two cents (or five stars) about Powell's. Yet with so many reviews to read - (261 at last count) how would one ever begin to decide WHICH 5-star rating to choose from?
Well folks, I've complied a list of my favorite Powell's quotes from the 260 reviews before mine...and if you're kind enough to FUK (cough*funny, useful, cool*cough) the daylights out of my review - it may just pop up to the top for others to read and enjoy.
Here we go:
-I love books. This store has books, a lot of books. I love this store.
-Powell's is also known as this geek's version of heaven.
-What can be said that hasn't already been said about Powell's?
-If I were to become an orphan because of Powell's I would demand that they let me live in The Purple Room, because really it's their fault I have no family!
-This is like the Virgin Megastore of books but not shitty.
-Powell's presents a damn fine argument for why someone should move to Portland. I ramble about Powell's to anyone who will listen.
-Simply the greatest independent bookstore in the US.
-Overheard at Powell's last Saturday "Dude, no....seriously....they sell meatballs at Ikea."
-I really enjoy this place, despite the fact I very rarely read books.
-It was a fantastical, amazing fun time perusing all the books and dare I say, almost orgasmic?
-I don't even know what the hell to say about this store.
-That's right -- Powell's gets you laid. Go there now.
-They should post a DANGER! DANGER! sign at the entrance to warn people that they WILL be buying books.
-Kinda ridiculous is right, but yes, if you are a book lover and a graduate of the Derek Zoolander Center For Children Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too, then you will dig this place.
-Every single time, Powell's hypnotizes me into buying armfuls of books I will never have time to read. Damn you, Powell's.
-Give yourself ample time to browse (several days may be needed).
-Just pretend your credit card is a library card and all will be well.
-This is so obvious that it's not even worth stating.
-I was at Powell's not long ago after consuming two glasses of wine on an empty stomach. That was even better than Powell's sober - - highly recommended.
-You will love it ... spend hours in it ... grow addicted ... and then read and get all learn'ed inside.
-Neil Diamond sings "Baby I love you" to you Powells.
-Awesome labyrinth style book store. You will get lost. Let me repeat, you will get lost.
-It's Powell's - bring an oxygen tank, a change of clothes, some trail mix...It's a bookstore - take allergy meds, bring hand sanitizer.
-Awesome bookstore, but didn't live up to the hype at all. I would rate it 3 stars for the disappointment but fear being found and beaten on the street.
-Simply stepping into Powell's makes my heart pitter-patter and my mind feel like it's just had a giant, erm, lovemaking session.
-This book store is probably just too awesome for the average faint of heart book worm.
-Truly, the mecca of any bibliophile. There are no more words to express my love and devotion to this place. Bring money.
-No bookstore in the world can compare to this Portland treasure. You'd be a fool not to love Powell's.
And in honor of Graham F - the proud holder of the honorable Powell's First to Review:
-Visiting this bookstore requires restraint, a very fat wallet, or a bankruptcy attorney. There are more books here than you can shake a stick at, and the cafe ain't half bad either.
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An entire city block of books, it's heaven on Earth. Not to mention prices are way cheap. Hooray!!
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Powell's consists of an entire city block up to 3 (maybe 4) levels of books. The shear size of the place allows for something for everyone. I love to brows, pick up a few books, and head for the "in house" coffee shop.
This store is perfectly amazing.
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I have nothing novel to say about Powell's that hasn't already been said in the 260 reviews posted so far...I just wanted to add that, if I could live anywhere in Portland other than in my house, I would live inside Powell's. Of course, I might have to sneak out occasionally (up the street to Henry's Tavern, perhaps) for food and beverage, but it would otherwise provide all the sustenance I'd need to survive happily. Realistically, I can always count on Powell's for guaranteed value, quality, refuge, solace, and perspective. Without it, I wouldn't love Portland as much.
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I still have wet dreams about Powell's.
The amazing selection is truly overwhelming! Casual browsing could take weeks, so you may want to come armed with a list. Thankfully, Powell's knows the sheer volume of umm... volumes will make you weak in the knees and has things well organized. Certainly despite the blissful haze I can still manage find my way due to the thoughtful color coding.
Thankfully they have a fantastic website and you can even order signed copies of new releases. You can even sell them your used books online too.
For true book lovers, a visit to Powell's is like dying and going to heaven
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Holy crap. Well... crap isn't really holy unless it belongs to Jesus, but still... This place is freakin CRAZY! So many books stacked from wall to wall. I love how this bookstore is organized by room colors. There was a nifty key by the entrance of how the store is organized. All I can say is wow... I can definitely spend an entire day getting lost here.
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Holy crap this place has so many books.
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What a true gem!
Powell's books is my all time favorite book store to get lost in. For hours I can stroll down the isles of international foods to murder mysteries. I even found a autographed hardback of Robert Fulghum's newest books! I snatched that baby up!
Hooray for Powells!
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okay, okay, it's a bookstore. a damned good bookstore. but even this good bookstore can only hold my attention for so long. when my husband is browsing books on fantasy baseball strategies or volkwagen repair, I love to look at all the little chotskies they have all around the store. bags, cards, pens, magnets, you name it, they've got it sitting around for sale. I am such a sucker for this stuff.
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Simply the greatest independent bookstore in the US. There are several cities of books here, including many old and out of print selections.
I didn't get as much time as I would like here. I was totally overwhelmed by the nautical section and barely got to look at anything else. But one day I will return, and I will carve out a day to spend here, amongst the books.
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This summer I went on what can only be described as a voracious book-buying-binge. My mind was a vacuous cavern that could only be satiated with the likes of Hemmingway, Keruoac, and Faulkner. The only place on God's green earth that could possibly fill the literary void of Summer '05 is Powell's City of Books (1005 W. Burnside, 97209). Four floors. Sections color-coded for easy browsing. An entire city block of independent book-hawking, burning with literary knowledge (and titles--over a million) and packed from floor to ceiling with both new and used, paperback and hardcover. If Powell's doesn't have the book you're looking for, maybe you were cut out for TV.
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Light on home improvement books and way too many school groups dashing about to browse easily.
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I have nothing new to add, but I am a born and bred Portlander with a history degree from PSU, and I know that if there's a heaven for me it will look a little bit like Powell's.
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WARNING! This really is the BEST bookstore on Earth! We limited ourselves to just two visits during our week-long vacation. I have to confess Powell's is one of the main reasons we decided to take our vacation in Portland.
They should post a DANGER! DANGER! sign at the entrance to warn people that they WILL be buying books and tchotskes! There is no escape. They have books on every subject on earth. The cookbook section has THOUSANDS of books.
The crochet/knitting/handicraft section has mountains of books too--most of which I have not seen elsewhere.
The kids sections is inviting and colossal. Yes, I can see myself moving in here and never leaving.
My hubby and son were enraptured by the history, science and reference sections!
As tinna h says you do need trail mix and an oxygen tank and a change of clothes. You probably need to leave a bad of bread crumbs so you can find your way out of the store (that is if you ever want to leave).
Friendly and helpful ,staff to help you and track down your special book(s).
A MUST see place for anyone visiting Portland.
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A bit disappointed at the ever-expanding supply of new books, and disappointed at the ever-shrinking economics section (yes I am, in fact, that dull). But Powell's probably has more of my hard earned money than any other Portland establishment. I'd say probably 70% of my books have been bought at Powell's, and I have a lot of crazy old history books and politics books and philosophy books.
Also, Powell's website is super-duper well done, and I wholly support their efforts to organize things for me so I don't have to go running from Powell's downtown to Powell's on Hawthorne because they have the ONE book I want. Go go gadget bookstore.
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Powell's is also known as this geek's version of heaven. This book shop has it all. The workers are so nice and will help you find whatever you're looking for. The place is big enough that you can quickly lose whatever folks you're shopping with. And they have both new and used versions of books. What more could a person ask for?
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The name of this place isn't an exaggeration; it's so big that there's an elevator in the store. I'll admit that I don't completely understand the layout, but when you've been walking around in here for awhile, you don't really care anymore.
I've been here twice, and both times, the staff members were really helpful. Because some of the bookshelves are too tall to reach, you'll need the assistance of people who work here, and they're always easy to find. Plus, it's a unionized store.
The first time I went here, I didn't know what to expect. I had already been ordering books online through powells.com for awhile, but I wasn't sure whether the physical store would be a disappointment or a massive warehousey thing. It turned out to be neither, and even though it was a horribly dark, rainy day, I was absolute blissful walking through the aisles and getting lost.
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I still like Moe's in Berkeley better, but Powell's size is unbeatable. The selection is great too for someone looking for a nonstandard used copy of say, "The Master and Marguarite." I could spend a month in there and come out a better person, but alas, it's not in my soul.
Visit the World Cup Cafe in the bookstore wtih your selections. Their coffee is good, with Wifi, and good lighting.
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Absolutely fantastic. Unlike other used book stores out there (cough *Strand* cough), Powell's is great for browsing. There are hand-written notes all over the store, pointing you to the staff's favorites. Each room is color-coded by subject ("now entering the History room") and organized logically.
Best of all, they also sell new books, which they shelve right beside the used. So if you come in looking for a specific book, they'll always have it, even if they don't have it used.
Be warned-- if you're only in Portland for a few days, you may spend way too much time here. :)
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