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Powell's City of Books

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1005 W Burnside St
Portland, OR 97209

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(503) 228-4651
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Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Powell's City of Books - Portland, OR
Reviews
( 45 )
( 21 )
( 5 )
( 4 )
( 6 )

Best

Still hanging on to this uncomfortable encounter years later? Must have been a bad day for both of you. I have had so many wonderful experiences at Powells City of Books that I ...

Worst

You can't trust Powell's online orders! If you are a student, or ordering a book for a present, don't use Powell's online. Even if they confirm your order, if the book runner dis...

Conceited and Snotty 3/27/2007

I'll get straight to the point: Powell's is vast and quite the Wonderland of books. It markets itself brilliantly as a place of rich tradition and character. Pros: Huge store, great atmosphere, lots of books. Cons: Egotistical, cold and incredibly hateful staff. more
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Book Sellers Beware!! 3/19/2007

Best selection on the planet? Maybe. Cool place to browse? Sure. Do you get a fair price for the books you sell them? Um, not so much. I personally watched the book buyer price just * one * of my stacks of books at $185... she gave me $45 for them. For those of you not paying attention, basically that means that they're charging you 4 times what they're paying for those books. I'd call that substantial mark-up. They know they've got you trapped since you can donate books to lots of places, but don't have many options for selling them... so they low ball you. Their prices have never seemed all that extraordinary to me, and now I know why. Pros: Selection Cons: Prices more
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The best bookstore on the planet! 12/6/2006

Powell's has all the elements of a great, nay, awesome bookstore: knowledgeable and friendly staff, a vast selection of new and used books (so you can find almost anything you're looking for or didn't know you were looking for -- at the right price) in almost any topic you can imagine. All that, and a coffeeshop too. On any given day, Powell's bustles with readers and booklovers of all ages. Need a cookbook? Want to find an obscure monograph on a favorite artist? Want to check out the latest bestseller you read about in the Times? Looking for that out-of-print sci-fi novel? Or how about a children's book about Chinese New Year? Chances are, you'll find it at Powell's or be directed to it on their shelves by one of their very helpful staff. I adore this place -- my only regret is that it only exists in Portland. But hey, I can always use another excuse to return to PDX. more
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Awesome! 11/17/2006

This is my most favori-tist bookstore on the planet. If you are a fan of books, you must go here! I could be here forever listing all of its fabulous qualities. Needless to say, I get lost in here for hours. Every time I'm in Portland, this is a necessary stop. Parking is a bit limited. Powell's own garage is not very big. If you end up parking on the street, be prepared to bring a lot of change for the meters. I recommend getting there early. more
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The worst service I've ever gotten in my life. 7/7/2006

Now don't get me wrong, I love books. I don't love paying over $110.00 for books that I have to buy for school and being treated badly by staff. Keep in mind it's money coming out of my own pocket. I almost said forget it and went somewhere else. I have never in my life been spoken to the way I have at this store. The selection was huge, but very poorly organized. The ""Info,"" center is not as it is described. The employee did not want to give me any info. She just replied in a shrewd manner to ""read the signs."" I suggest Powell's Books reads the signs posted on this page and get rid of it's rude employees. If it was my business I would want satisfied long term customers not customers irritated by unhappy staff members. Pros: Parking, good selection of books. Cons: Service, service, service. more
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User review by rceasar 4/26/2006

i am from la and was doing some local Portland research bc my friend wants to move out there after graduation. i am sure the bookstore is fantastic, but the people working the phones/store are very rude. every question i asked was ""look on the website"", they blantantly refused to answer any questions. more
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Selection Great, Service Not so Great 8/21/2005

If you're looking for books in Portland this is the place to go, the selection is unmatched. If you're looking for staff who treat you respectfully or say 'excuse me' when they walk in front of you or start stocking shelves directly in front of you while you're browsing, this is not the place to go. Also, I have twice been turned down when trying to sell books because the bookseller hinted strongly that they were suspicious about where I got my books. No one came out and said ""we think you stole these books"", but I got a very suspicious vibe from the book buyer. Why? No idea, other that I keep my books in excellent condition and many of them looked new. God forbid I take care of my stuff. Next time I sell, I'll trash the books a little first. Pros: Selection Cons: Rude staff more
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CAN'T FIND IT? THIS IS THE PLACE 9/4/2003

I have never been disappointed when trying to find a book. Whether it be a book for class or just for my own personal enjoyment, I have always found what I wanted. They also have used books, so it definitely saves on cost. I appreciate the way they've organized their inventory because for the most part it is easy to find your way around. The downtown atmosphere also gives the location a good vibe. Check it out for all your booking needs! Pros: Huge inventory!, Inexpensive, Convenient hours Cons: Crowded, Hard to park more
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Powell's books 8/7/2003

You can find dang near any book you can ever think of in this book ""city"" they have such a wide selection that you could get lost in there for days! It is one of my most favorite places in Portland. If you have not been there you have to go!!!! Pros: any book new/used, used books inexpensiv Cons: Parking is scarry more
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Any and Every Book, No good Service 7/1/2003

I love Powells, I don't consider anyplace else if I need a book. But, if you need to find something in particular and don't know where to look, or need some other type of info, it's best to figure it out on your own. Everytime I have approached their people for help I get a smarmy attitude and am made to feel about five years old. But I suppose with an inventory such as theirs you don't have to pride yourself on service. Pros: books, books, books Cons: service more
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Friggin amazing 6/14/2003

Powells is incredible. Tons of books, old and new to wet your literary appitite. Try Powells other branches too, esp. their Cookbook selection on Hawthorne. Pros: selection, selection, selection more
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Wonderful For the Most Part. 10/25/2002

I have to say that their selection is amazing! I do think that certain areas of the store need to be added to greatly (i.e. divinatory books). The atmosphere is wonderful for spending a whole day checking out books and poping into the coffee shop and getting a quick (or slow) reguvinating fix. Most of the staff are great with their customer service. The only real grip that I would have is that they really rip a person off if you go to sell books to them. I personally would rather go to a smaller local bookstore to sell my books to. Pros: good selection, convenient location, bus stop Cons: parking, book buying rip off more
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Heaven? 10/21/2002

As the slogan goes, ""So many books so little time."" What can be said about the single most amazing bookstore in the Known Universe? With the Anne Hughs Coffee Room adding a better than decent cup of coffee into the mix how can this be anything less than Heaven? The staff is friendly enough though sometimes certain folk can be a little aloof though it's easy to see how one may develope an elitist attitude while working there. Pros: Great book Selections Cons: Aloof Booksellers, Parking more
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Bibliophile ecstacy 9/17/2002

This is amazing - more authors and books than I ever thought could be brought together in one place. So-o-o much better than a chain bookstore. Pros: Quantity, Organization Cons: Quantity, Cruddy neighborhood more
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Heaven! Paradise! Nirvana! 8/22/2002

Powell's City of Books is such a nice escape from the flood of bland, boring mainstream drivel out there. I have to get my fix every once in a while and it's the first place I take friends who come to town to visit. Support your local bookstore!!! (Do wish they had more magazines, though) Pros: Great book selection, Roomy, Hard-to-find books Cons: Not enough mags, Few places to sit, Fairly expensive more
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Shocking Place 8/13/2002

I have never met such grumpy people in all my life. The service was dreadful. The people were surly, if not just plain rude. Pros: Many Books Cons: Expensive, Bad Service more
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awesome 8/3/2002

You won't find a Powell's anywhere else. It's a microcosm of Portland itself: a city full of well-read, knowledgeable, progressive citizens. If you're looking for an atmosphere which capsulizes the flavor of Portland, go to Powell's. more
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a sea of books 7/23/2002

more books than the local library i got lost in the store, i could spend days brousing thier selections more
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Lost in your mind 7/22/2002

No matter what your taste is in reading you can find it at Powell's. Our entire family can get lost in other worlds somewhere in this store. Pros: choice, selection Cons: not enough time more
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Incredible bookstore 6/28/2002

Though it seems to have lost a touch of personality in the re-design, Powell's is still the best and most comprehensive bookstore I've visited. You can almost always find a used version of the book you're looking for for less money, and you can also sell your used books here, for cash or trade. more
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Editorial

  • In Short
    Billed as the nation's largest independent bookstore, Powell's occupies an entire city block and requires a map to navigate. Though Powell's size and reputation draws tourists by...

  • 6/12/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Monday To Sunday From 09:00 AM To 08:30 PM
  • Payments: Master Card, Visa, American Express, Discover
  • Neighborhoods: Neighbors West - Northwest, Pearl
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