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Powell's Bookstore
1005 W Burnside Portland, OR 97209 USA
http://www.powells.com/
One of the world's largest collections of new and used books in buildings that encompass a city block plus, this store holds over a million books. Nine color coded rooms house over 3,500 different sections, offering something for every interest, including an incredible selection of out-of-print and hard-to-find titles. Each month, the Basil Hallward Art Gallery (located upstairs in the Pearl Room) hosts a new exhibit, as well as dozens of author events featuring acclaimed writers, artists, and thinkers such as Roddy Doyle, Susan Sontag, Robert Olen Butler, Annie Leibovitz, and former President Jimmy Carter. The City's Rare Book Room gathers autographed first editions and other collectible volumes for readers in search of a one-of-a-kind treasure. This of course is my all time favorite bookstore. A must to visit anytime in Portland. Rating: 5 stars out of 5.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Phone: see above
Let's state the obvious- any bookstore that requires a map to navigate its selection is utterly awesome. A great mix of new and gently used . Frequent in-store events and a bustling cafe, too.
Budget at least 2-3 hours a decent walk-through.
What to buy: Books, of course.
****Make sure to pick up the Powells Downtown Portland map that they give out for free.****
They sometimes give a nice Powells book bag for free with a min. purchase.
What to pay: $5 on up...
Written Nov 21, 2010
Website: http://www.powells.com/
This is a huge independent bookstore, supposedly the largest independent bookstore in the country. It has several branches in Portland, but the original, main, and largest is the downtown store - Powell's City of Books. This huge maze of books and books is truly impressive and large. It is easy to get lost and they provide free maps. It has not only sheer volume, but a truly impressive range of choices, with outstanding variety. For those who love books, it is easy to spend hours here. The children's section alone is amazing, as are the history sections and every other.
What to buy: Books, etc.
What to pay: Prices are reasonable and generally on the lower end.
Written Oct 24, 2010
Address: 1005 W Burnside, Portland
Phone: 503-228-4651
Website: http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books/?utm_source=yelp&utm_medium=site%20link&utm_campaign=yelp_city_of_books&utm_content=web+address
Powell's City of Books truly lives up to it's name. And what more could you expect from somewhere that claims to be the largest new and used bookstore in the world? Not only does it occupy an entire city block, but the store is three stories tall, with nine color-coded rooms, and still they have separate stores simply for cooking & gardening and technical books! The store provides a free map, aptly titled "How to get lost in the city of books." Not only is it possible to get browsing, but to lose track of time as well! With such a large selection you're bound to find any book you're looking for, and likely a bunch you didn't even know you were looking for.
Check their website for a list of in-store events, book reviews, or take an online tour.
What to buy: Rare and collectible books, first editions, signed copies.
Written Oct 14, 2009
Address: 1005 W Burnside Portland, OR 97209
Phone: 503-228-4651
Website: http://www.powells.com/info/places/burnsideinfo.html
Powell's City of Books is heaven for bibliophiles. It is the largest independent bookstore in the world and is so huge -- it takes up an entire city block -- that you actually need a map to find your way around.
Each section in the maze-like interior is named after a color. In the Rose Room I found a lovely little paperback about a Thai girl's struggle to adjust to a new country, for only $2.98, and in the Purple Room I was astonished to see on display a used copy of my own out-of-print book.
If you're shopping with other people, keep your cell phones with you. It's very easy to lose track of each other.
Updated Apr 28, 2009
Address: 1005 W. Burnside
Phone: 800-878-7323
Website: www.powells.com
Helpfulness
The largest new & used book store in the western half of the nation. It's a department store for book lovers so take a day off because this place makes Barnes & Noble look like an underfunded public library.
What to buy: All the books you want & need, cheaper...
What to pay: $5 to $15 for an average used paper back
Updated Oct 19, 2006
Address: 1005 W Burnside Ave. Portland
Website: www.powells.com
Helpfulness
It is said that "No stay in Portland is complete without a visit to Powells", well as an advid reader I would have to agree.
Powells is huge!! With over one million used, new and out of print books in stock, you will definitely find what you are looking for in one of their many rooms. The bookstore provides you with a map of the store so you can find your way around the 68,000 sq. ft. space and over 4,000 subjects spread out in nine large rooms. (Yes, you heard right).
The Washington Post referred to Powells as "one of the best bookstores in the English-Speaking world".
Open 365 days a year, 9 am-11 pm, there is even store tours available. There is also a "Powells Technical Books about two blocks.
What to buy: Why, books of course, but they also have a large selection of audios and videos as well and anything that is printed.
Updated Sep 25, 2006
Address: 1005 W. Burnside
Website: www.powells.com
Portland has a bunch of thrift stores. There are many Goodwills and others. Off of 82nd and Holgate there is a Saint Vincent DePaul's bookstore that has softcovers for 1.00 and hard for 2.50. It's behind Walgreens. The goodwill on the SE side is best for books also. Parking is very limited and prices are high at the Goodwill on the SW side, near 18 street I believe. There's a Red White and Blue store in Oregon City, pretty close to the downtown area on the main road. If you hit that store at the right time you can get amazing deals on great items. And there are always tons of yard and estates sales around Portland. Best quality items tend to be in the Southwest. Boy I miss looking for bargains there! Fun fun!
Written Mar 7, 2005
Powell's is incredible. It is one of the largest book stores in the world. Just the number of categories of books it has is over 4700. If you like books, you could spend days if not weeks in here. New and used books, foreign language books, and antique books. You could also order from them on-line, but that's no fun.
What to pay: a couple of dollars to however much you want to
Written Jan 11, 2005
Address: 1005 W Burnside St., Portland
Phone: (503) 228-4651
Website: http://www.powells.com/
For a book-lover, it doesn't get any better than this. The selection of a box store and the character of an independent. The size of the store can be intimidating, and the layout is a bit confusing, but - hey - if you want the same old same old, go to one of those chain book barns out by the mall.
What to buy: 9 am - 11 pm Mon-Sat
9 a, - 9 pm Sunday
yes they do have a coffee shop
Written Mar 20, 2004
Address: 1005 W. Burnside
Phone: 800-228-4651
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