Powell’s Books in Portland has been one of our favorite places for what seems like forever. The store opened back in 1971, and we started dropping in soon afterwards whenever we visited Portland, where Meda’s mother lived. We would see Mr. Powell at work, buying and selling, always willing to stop and talk to strangers. The place was political. Like Kepler’s bookstore in Menlo Park, Powell’s drew activists as well as intellectuals. Books and people were stacked everywhere.
In the early 1980s, Powell sold the store to his son, Michael, but the senior Powell could still be spotted at the store. He died in 1985, just about the time this photo was taken.
Powell’s has kept growing, kept getting better, and has defied the odds by surviving as so many independent booksellers have joined the many newspapers that have gone out of business.
See:
“The Life and Tomes of Michael Powell,” University of Chicago Magazine.
Powell’s Books, Wikipedia.
“The history of Powell’s Books,” from the company website.
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I always stop by Powells when in Portland, mostly to enjoy the life of books.
as opposed to the slow death of sulky sullen newspapers.
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Wonderful that they are still thriving.
Visited last October, the place was not just thriving it was crowded! So many memories there, I frequented often back in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
It has been a true loss to lose most of the bookstores on the island.