What a dream bookstore for book lovers indeed! Founded in 1971, Powell's is such a Portland staple,…read moreand this location in the Pearl District is ginormous. You can seriously spend hours perusing all the books and choosing your next read, coffee table book, or whatever your heart desires. My favorite section of the bookstore hands down was the Rare Book Room, a special temperature and humidity-controlled room filled with some of the coolest books I have ever laid eyes on. And yes, they are for sale! To me, the room felt alive as I stood in the presence of historical literature, just as when I stand in the presence of great artifacts at a museum. Access to the Rare Book Room is granted as long as you grab a pass, and no food, drink, or unpaid books/merchandise is allowed inside. You can spend as long as you like (as long as it's not crowded in the room), and there is also a staff member present to answer any questions you may have. Of course I had to purchase a book from Powell's, called Freeway Birding, San Francisco to Seattle (it was even signed)! As an avid birdwatcher, this was the perfect book to add to my ever-expanding library. I also grabbed one of their wooden postcards and a couple of stickers to commemorate our time spent at this amazing bookstore. While the entire store was bustling, even on a weekday in August, take your time at Powell's and get swept away by any and all genres of literature that call to you. You never know what you may find next.

Powell's City of Books is kind of a must for any book lover! Whenever I visit a city, I try to…read morefind a local bookstore, and I knew before we even arrived that I had to check out Powell's. It was within walking distance of our hotel in the Pearl District, so we didn't need to contend with parking. It's overwhelming at first - I had heard of how large it was, but you don't quite get the scope until you start walking through - here are books and people everywhere you look! You can just wander, or make a plan of attack and strategically try to visit every corner of the store. We kind of did a combination of both, and started at the top floor and worked our way back down to ground level. The prices are typical of an independent book store, but they had a nice selection of used books and some great value books to snap up, too. There is literally something for everyone. There are lots of local authors and books set in the region. There are bookmarks around each info station with suggested/popular reads for each section of the store. There was a nice selection of local and bookish items and gifts, too - totes, t-shirts, postcards, stickers, etc. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. I'll be stopping in any time I'm in Portland!

LOVE this bookstore!! It has such a good selection of books in Japanese and English too! It is so…read morefun to look around in and prices aren't terrible, they're pretty standard. Staff is super friendly too! I'll definitely come back if I get the chance!!!

I'm not the target audience for this store, but I stopped by when shopping for a gift…read more Located off Director's Park, in the historic Guild Theater. It's cool that they kept the sign but it is a little hard to realize this is now the Kinokuniya. They've got a wide array of items - including movies and books/manga, pens and stationary, stickers and charms, mystery boxes of various kinds, items related to popular media, decor, etc. It's fairly narrow aisles and a lot to look at. They have another location in Beaverton.

I love recommending this spot for people who visit Portland because it's got its own style. It's a…read morevery academic layout, books are stacked beside full bookshelves, older worn out copies of books have hand-written annotations on the side. The owners are very friendly and clearly love to talk about local events and their book selection. Couple things to note: - Hours shift a little bit than what is listed on Google, always worth calling in advance if unsure. - Phones are not encouraged on the shop floor (which I think is great). - The new location is a lot larger and has plenty of seating to promote spending a nice quiet afternoon surrounded by books. If you're looking for newer copies of books, Portland has plenty of other options. This selection is obscure and eccentric, it likely won't have the new titles in fiction. If you want to find a book or author you've never heard of, this is your spot.

a magic book store. i feel right at home here. i always find too many books here and that's a good…read morething.

Reasonable prices and a good cause, even if not the widest selection of books. The workers here…read morewere friendly enough, and I enjoyed browsing. May be worth visiting frequently to find an occasional gem.

Friendly volunteers and irresistible book paraphernalia. Portland literature goodies for everyone…read more Careful. It's addictive!

Great local spot for very cheap secondhand books! The…read moreselection isn't the largest but compared to other used books stores in the area this is my go-to for reasonable prices. Unfortunately closed on Sundays (which is the usually the day I'd want to go) but beyond that it's always a pleasant visit.

Daedalus is a cool used bookstore located in NW Portland. Definitely grab some coffee and then come…read morethrough to browse some of their offerings if you are ever in the neighborhood.

The atmosphere is welcoming and the staff provides outstanding customer service. They go the extra…read moremile to help find items I was looking for. If you are looking for a respite from the stress of life, come into this space and get re-charged.

It's expensive, and quite cramped. They seem to have gone from pagan/witchy to woo woo healing,…read moreand readers that are over 200/hour.

Small bookstore with a large selection of curated material that I loved seeing that support the…read morecommunity. The staff was helpful in directing me to a few new book ideas to consider.

The selection is amazing all different romance genres and even supporting local authors with I…read morelove! The service was great I met the owner there and I got a book by a local author I'm so excited to start it. Amazing value.

This store was as good as its reputation, filled with amazing collection of Portland souvenir…read moregoods, stationary items, apparels and local made food products. The store was clean and organized. The prices of the items were comparable to other shops we had visited in and around Portland. Among the products, I loved their magnet wall full of unique designs. There were really nice stickers and postcards. After exploring the store for several minutes, we picked few magnets and stickers. Staff members were friendly and interacting with guests. The checkout was quick and easy. Highly recommend this store to anyone looking to do souvenir shopping in downtown Portland.

I did a quick search for any type of souvenir store to find some Portland themed gifts and quickly…read morecame across this one. They have a nice location right by Powell's Books so it was a nice way to hit two birds with one stone. Everything in this shop made for a great gift, from stationary to stickers to apparel for all ages, and even Portland themed children's books. The staff were super friendly and helped look in the back to get me more sizes in the children's shirts. This was a nice stop for souvenirs without paying airport prices.

Sure, there's Powell's. But for me, nothing is more totally and absolutely Portland than Hi Books…read more It's tiny. It's curated. It's off the wall cool. And Fawn is a jewel. Make sure to drop by during the weekend and check out Portland's tiniest bookstore, which punches way above it's square footage.

I learned of this small bookstore from my friends. It is a small storefront in the vintage…read moreapartment building resident between Broadway and Park. They have art journals and books placing them in my small bookstores collection. They have a specialty in contemporary Japanese artists. Their selection is continuously rotating so stop in often.

This was a cute bookstore. They had some good cards and postcards which I appreciate because I am…read morealways looking for postcards. The book selection was pretty good not comparable to places like Powells though who have a way larger selection. If those spots overwhelm you because of all the choices then this would be a better spot. I got a softcover for 18.99$. They do have a punchcard though where if you get 12 books your 13th is free.

A cute local bookstore right off Broadway St…read more Great place for buying a book for someone special! I recently came here on Independent Bookstore Day + they had some special deals and a wheel to spin for extra prizes. I was looking for a sci-fi book for a birthday gift for my dad - and they were able to recommend one with the space theme I was looking for. I was also able to get 20% off the book that day. They even offered to wrap the book, and did a lovely wrapping job for no charge :-)