"Powell's City of Books is not just an independent bookstore in Portland. It is arguably the largest independent bookstore in the world and proof that Portland is one of the literary centers of the nation. The headquarters building takes up a full block on the busiest street in the heart of the city, a destination for book-loving residents and visitors alike."
"For example, Amanda Doimas, president of the Cascade Booksellers Association, told Oregon ArtsWatch that the number and variety of independent bookstores in Portland has been increasing in recent years, with at least four new ones so far in 2025. The CBA is a nonprofit membership organization of all kinds of booksellers in Oregon and Washington. It staged a bingo card-style book crawl in Portland in June with more than 60 participants."
"The news followed pleas on social media for community support from two other local bookstores. Third Eye Books in Southeast Portland and Grand Gesture Books downtown both cited slow sales as the need for help. Taken together, the developments suggested that other local bookstores may in trouble, too, perhaps because the city's economy has been slow to recover from the government-imposed pandemic shutdowns that began in 2020. But others in the business paint a far more optimistic picture."
Powell's City of Books occupies a full downtown block and is arguably the largest independent bookstore in the world. Powell's laid off 18 employees since July, citing a post-pandemic slowdown in the Portland economy and industry trends. Online sales are growing but have not compensated for declines at the downtown store, and sales there have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Third Eye Books and Grand Gesture Books publicly requested community support because of slow sales. Some observers fear multiple local bookstores may be struggling due to a slow economic recovery. The Cascade Booksellers Association reports that Portland gained at least four new independent bookstores in 2025 and hosted a June book crawl with more than 60 participants.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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