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Emilly Prado
Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More
Powell’s City of Books
This Portland landmark is also the world's largest new and used bookstore.
Emilly Prado
Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More
Powell’s City of Books is more than a famous Portland landmark — it’s the world’s largest independent bookstore, and it’s a microcosm of Portland, packed with smart and eclectic offerings and passionate people. Spanning an entire city block, Powell’s City of Books boasts a collection of more than 1 million new and used books, plus an excellent array of housewares, games, greeting cards and more. Whether you’re searching for an out-of-print indie novella, an inclusive new tarot deck or the latest romance bestseller, this iconic bookstore has it all.
Credit: Celeste Noche
Powell’s City of Books FAQs
What makes Powell’s City of Books unique?
When is Powell’s City of Books open?
Note: Holidays sometimes affect store hours, so we recommend checking Powell’s Books’ social media accounts for updates before you visit.
How do you get to Powell’s City of Books?
Is Powell’s City of Books accessible?
A Storied Beginning Bookselling appears to have been an inevitable inheritance for the Powell family. Walter Powell founded Powell’s Books in 1971, inspired after a summer stint working alongside his son, Michael Powell, who opened a successful bookstore in Chicago in 1970. When he returned to the City of Roses, Walter came out of retirement and opened up his own used bookstore in a former car dealership in Northwest Portland. By the end of the decade, Michael joined forces with his father and, with help from staff and customers, grew the iconic Portland institution we know today. Half a century later, Powell’s Books continues to be family-owned and operated, with Emily Powell, Walter’s granddaughter, leading the bookstore since 2010.
Getting to Powell’s City of Books
Know Before You Go
If the checkout lines at the main entrance get lengthy, a quick dart toward the Orange Room often allows for a faster exit
Powell’s City of Books is located in the Pearl District, an upscale Northwest neighborhood known for boutique and brand-name shopping and purveyors of delicious eats; casual and fine dining alike. The bookstore is a prominent fixture along West Burnside, taking up an entire city block!
The main entrance of Powell’s City of Books is hard to miss. Located at the corner of NW 10th Avenue and West Burnside, a white and scarlet storefront sign emblazoned with “Powell’s City of Books” doubles as a marquee offering a preview of the week’s upcoming author events. Meanwhile, the second entrance, located at the corner of NW Couch Street and NW 11th Avenue, was added during a 1999 expansion and features an impressive 9-foot column of notable hardcover books from across the globe, carved from Tenino sandstone. The pillar is flanked by slabs engraved with Latin translations of the apt phrases “Buy the book,” “Read the book,” “Enjoy the book” and “Sell the book.”
Once you’ve made your way inside either entrance, the secret to a successful Powell’s trip is to let time slip away. Pick books off the shelf at random, ask a friendly staff member for directions to your go-to author or genre, or simply peruse until something catches your eye. Weekends are always bustling, but the store’s large footprint and many rows of bookshelves allow for breathing room. However, if the checkout lines at the main entrance get lengthy, a quick dart toward the Orange Room often allows for a faster exit. Visitors can plan to spend at least an hour for brief browsing or several hours at a leisurely pace with stops by each floor and the in-store cafe.
How to Explore Powell’s City of Books
Navigating 1 million books isn’t for the fainthearted, but the fine folks at Powell’s City of Books have made it as easy as possible, dividing up the robust collection into nine color-coded rooms and further categorizing it into 3,500 different subsections.
As a writer, I navigate the store broadly, knowing that the first floor is dedicated to what I imagine is most popular: bestsellers in nonfiction and fiction, curated rotating displays, children’s books, poetry, cookbooks and pop culture books, and gifts and games. The second floor is made up of nonfiction of all kinds — from history to cultural studies to spirituality to travel. Lastly, the top floor houses art and architecture books, the Basil Hallward art gallery and the Rare Book Room (which feels like a literary gallery itself). There’s no pop quiz, though — snag a map at information kiosks throughout the store to find your way, consult the online map, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed. When nature calls, ask a staff member for the code to the restrooms on the second level in the Purple Room.
Pro Tip: Books may appear in multiple places! Publishers often suggest multiple categories for their titles, and Powell’s staff curate themed displays, so a book may be shelved — for example — on both the “Read the Pacific Northwest” shelf in the Blue Room and the nature section in the Purple Room. If an author is published in more than one genre, their books of other genres may be shelved nearby, such as the memoir In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, which can be found in the Blue Room next to Machado’s short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties.
City of Book Lovers
Locals and travelers love Powell’s, but dozens more small and mighty independent bookstores fill Portland.
Rare Books Room
Bibliophiles and the book-curious alike will find common ground in the Rare Book Room, a moody yet dapper space filled with a stunning assortment of autographed first editions, out-of-print pulp novels, exquisite full-color art books and other collectible volumes. Home to several thousand of the store’s most valuable works, it is also the resting place of the late Fup, a store cat who slinked among the stacks at the now-closed Powell’s Technical Books for nearly two decades. Snag a free pass in the Pearl Room to get into the Rare Books room, where you can pay your respects to Fup (and check out the Fup prayer candles available for purchase).
Credit: Emilly Prado
While you can catch a glimpse of the oldest book on the shelves (the collected works of Decimus Magnus Ausonius, printed in 1494), the most expensive book is stored behind bank vault doors in an undisclosed location. The Journals of Lewis and Clark, priced at $350,000, is the first printing of the “Biddle edition” and one of 23 remaining copies in the world.
Local Legends
Dozens, if not hundreds, of titles by Portland authors are tucked in among the expansive selection of books at Powell’s Books. While you are certain to find numerous new and used works by some of my favorite legendary Portland authors like Ursula K. Le Guin (Gold Room) and Mitchell S. Jackson (Blue Room), I urge you not to overlook the small press section in the Blue Room which showcases the works of countless independent publishers and micro-presses that are integral contributors to the book industry. See if you can spot indie Portland-based powerhouses like Tin House Books, Forest Avenue Press, Hawthorne Books and Future Tense Books. Keep your eyes peeled for stellar local authors like Jessica Wadeligh, author of numerous hilarious, poignant zines and publisher at Zines & Things, and award-winning poet Stephanie Adams-Santos, whose collection, Dream of Xibalba, was a finalist for the 2024 Oregon Book Award.
Guilder Cafe
In the cozy Southwest corner of the store, you’ll find Guilder Cafe, accessible only through the Gold Room. This light-filled coffee shop serves their own brand, Junior’s Roasted Coffee, and is decorated with nods to The Princess Bride, both the novel and film adaptation — including a gorgeous custom wallpaper created in collaboration with local artist Kate Blairstone, which also weaves in Portland iconography like the “Big Pink.”
Padded stadium seating and ample window-side dining tables provide the perfect setting to skim through your stacks or nosh on a robust menu of aptly named breakfast fare, sandwiches and share plates. Wash it all down with an assortment of beers and cider on tap, cocktails or freshly brewed coffee drinks and tea.
Gifts and Trinkets
If buying books aren’t gift enough, there are hundreds of unique knick-knacks and artisan-made wares to zhuzh up any present. From galactic wrapping to Pendleton journals and sun print kits to handmade “bee hotels,” the possibilities are endless. While the Orange Room is advertised as the main area for gifts, thoughtful end trinket caps are curated throughout the store to compliment nearby books. Plus, find tons of Powell’s Books swag, including the expected (mugs, enamel pins, totes) and the unexpected (seasonal book-scented branded candles from Wildwood Candle Co. and leather coasters from Spooltown — a queer-woman-owned business created by a former Powell’s employee) in the Green Room and throughout the store.
Pull Up a Chair at These Events
The power of books and community is on display most nights at the Basil Hallward Gallery in the Pearl Room. Dozens of acclaimed writers, artists and thinkers visit monthly to read excerpts and discuss their latest works. Visitors can check the online calendar for upcoming events across all Powell’s Books locations. Kids’ Storytime is a standing affair for families at Powell’s City of Books every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
On the last Saturday of every April, indie bookstores across the United States celebrate Independent Bookstore Day and invite readers to flock to their local shops in support of small businesses and literature. Powell’s Books typically hosts a sale on this day, and it can be a great day to stock up.
Smallpresspalooza has occurred most springs (13 to be exact) since 2007 at Powell’s City of Books and showcases dozens of local and national small press authors, and is hosted by Kevin Sampsell, publisher of Future Tense Books and beloved longtime Powell’s employee.
For the Love of the Word
The Portland Book Festival
Portland Book Festival (formerly “Wordstock”) returns every November with an impressive (and extensive) lineup of local and national authors.
Quiet Places Made for Reading
Pick up a winning read at one of Portland’s many independent bookstores and curl up in a cozy corner of one of these eight local coffee shops.
A Booklover’s Guide to Portland
From coffee houses with community libraries to writing workshops and a book festival, bookworms rejoice; this is for you.
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