Powell’s Books at PDX

Powell’s City of Books is a famous landmark in the Burnside District. Luckily, for those who’d rather not battle traffic in that part of town, there’s a way station for harried travelers. Powell’s is unusual in that it doesn’t carry magazines, but they have an extensive fiction section, along with a whole shelf dedicated to Portland-​centered books. If you’ve always wanted to re-​create dishes from Voodoo Donut, Pok Pok, or Le Pigeon, this is the place to go. Portland is a happening place, so Powell’s is the place to be.

I am the lucky mother of three special, beautiful children, and when I travel for work we miss each other desperately. As much as I enjoy my alone time, there is no greater anticipation than my return home to enjoy hugs and kisses from the loves of my life. I always promise them a special present when I return home and that helps them to focus on the joy of my return, as opposed to the sadness of my not being at home.
Usually I try to find gifts during my travels but on my most recent trip to Portland there just wasn’t the opportunity to find presents. The last thing I ever want to do is buy candy or toys at the airport, but I really had no choice. Thank goodness for Powell’s Books! Not only is a fantastic little bookstore with picks for readers of all ages, but I found that they had many unique children’s gifts! I found a great set of washable body crayons for my four year old, a nail art and spirograph set for my eight year old, and these cool shoe wings and hand tattoos for my 10 year old.
Once I got home it felt like Christmas as I pulled out a bag of toys and passed them out one by one! My four year old marked her body up like she was on a mission and we got the best laugh of 2015! My eight year old decorated her nails and her sisters nails and my nails until we almost passed out from exhaustion. And my ten year old is now stylin’ in his shoes while talking to his hands at all hours of the night.
Powell’s helped me to bring home the best toy haul of all time and I feel like the best working Mom of all time! If in the PDX airport, I’m pretty sure that this is where Santa shops for his last minute gifts as well!

For being an airport store, it has great selection of books and gifts (young and old). The staff was very helpful and I was able to grab a few gifts before my flight. I love Powell’s and I wish they had a location in San Diego.

I’m a hardcore book-​lover and the first time I went to powells, I almost cried. It’s so beautiful and they have so many books… it’s simply amazing. They call it the world if books for a good reason. You can probably find every book you’re looking for there. They even rent out textbooks.
Mostly they have used books – all in good condition, of course. And I’ve never tried to sell them books, so I don’t know what their prices are like. But I do know that they’re a pretty good place to buy cheaper books. Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive, either.

A small but punchy satellite of the mothership. Varied selection of classics and select new titles, including a huge section for kids and young adults. I stop here often when I have time to kill in PDX.
I should also point out the wonderful staff, who are two steps above the usual airport employee. When I asked for a recommendation for my young niece, the bookseller really stepped up and walked me through their wonderful selection. Couldn’t ask for better service.

First stop– order g&t at gustav’s then while I’m waiting go next door to Powells and peruse my next great read– or two or three. Love the sales, and I appreciate the tagged reviews by sales staff. It’s refreshing to go into a bookstore where staff actually reads the books they sell. Well stocked store, friendly staff. Love this store!
Mid June they are closing the stores on concourse c & d!!! Oh no. It means only the main store at the airport will be open. Soo sad!!! I so loved my routine!

This is a great place to get books at the airport. They have a lot of discounted books available. They also have souvenirs and gifts. This is probably the best airport bookstore I’ve ever been to.

This Powell’s is in Concourse C, right next to Gustav’s — could there be two better establishments? Books and beer? Le sigh.
Anyhow, I walked in here to find a good book. Not some top 10 list for-​the-​masses bullshit. I don’t tend to like novels so if I’m going to read one it had better be good. I browsed around and found something that sounded just right.
The employee was busy stocking shelves but she came over to help me when she saw that I was ready to pay. She looked at the book and said in sort of a hushed tone, «this is a really, *really* good book.» I wasn’t quite sure how to take that.
While waiting for my flight, I looked up the book and saw that it apparently has a bit of S&M in it. Was that the reason for the hushed comment? I’ll never know.

LOVE THE PLACE!
I discovered it as I was waiting for my plane back. Airports can be boring, but this book store was a little corner of heaven. Yes, it’s tiny and accordingly not «extraordinaire» but still, I have not found this quality of bookstores in airports outside of Europe.
There is just about anything you can need: a quick read, some reference books, toys and books for kids, local guides, sale books, new books. It goes way beyond the «news stand» found in all airports and that’s refreshing. (even the décor brings the «british library» feel).
If anything, once you visit Powell’s at PDX, you want to visit the «real» ones downtown.

In case you didn’t get the chance to visit the main shop in downtown Portland, here’s its smaller version.
It may not have plenty of books in comparison to its larger location, but there’s a good mix of books offered. Plus, new sellers and used books are also sold. There are variety of genres and also sections for books that are Oregon related.
Not only will you find books here, but you can find random items like mugs, tea infusers, fragrances, and games.
Nice little shop within Concourse C in PDX. It’s a perfect place to pick up souvenirs for almost everyone on your list, not just the bibliophiles.

Very nice airport bookstore with a good selection of cards. I love going to the independent bookstores v the chains, even if this happens to be a smaller version of the original.
Powell’s is unique to Portland and worth the stop!

Smaller then the Mother Ship but still has a great selection. This is my goto store at the airport for a little travel reading. The people are helpful and always full of suggestions. Keep up the great work Powell’s one of Portlands finest

I wish I could have went in to browse, but there are multiple buildings and levels. One could spend days in there. I looked through the window and saw some books for $ 1! Next time I’m back in PDX I will be shopping at Powells.

In an ever increasing electronic world dominated by Kindles, Nooks and iPads, it’s nice to walk into a brick and mortar store and actually touch, see and smell books. I’ve always been a reader and yes, I’ve moved to a Kindle, mainly because I can travel with multiple books in a way that I can’t with traditional books. That being said… I love Powell’s Books.
Independent, quirky, interesting selections and thoughtful staff. This is a success story for books. New books, used books whatever. I always make a stop here when traveling through PDX, mainly loitering around their local section (Pacific Northwest, Portland, Seattle).
If you love books and reading, stop here and enjoy the vibe. It’ll be worth your time… even if you own an electronic reader, it’s nice to read something that smells like ink.

This airport outpost of Powell’s, an awesome local independent bookstore, has saved my ass on many occasion. You see, I do enjoy reading, but I simply don’t find much time in regular life to get any done. I’m too busy doing all sorts of other shit to curl up with a good book. So I don’t always have one strapped to my hip or in my bag.
But I love to read when I travel. In fact, I can blow through a decently thick book in just a couple of short flights, let alone time by the pool or similar. It’s funny that I might consider escaping from vacation or otherwise exciting travel into a good book, but really those long flights need some time filler.
Here’s where Powell’s at PDX comes in. I never remember to buy or bring a book when I go on a trip. So almost every time I fly out of PDX I stop and grab a book for the road at Powell’s. They stock one heck of a great selection for being a bookstore in an airport, and they also have a ton of cool gift items — many locally made — that thoroughly outshine the tacky souvenirs that the news stands sell. It’s not anything even close to the downtown location, but for an airport bookstore? Oh yes. Because let’s face it, for the most part the books they sell at news stands are usually tripe. Plus, Powell’s prices are totally reasonable, and they have a huge sale books table. On top of that, the money you spend here stays local.
Whether it’s my usual fare — business or nonfiction — or an escapist comedy, lit, or fiction read, Powell’s has a ton of great selection. Another reason I totally love PDX and its local offerings. Other airports with their chain shit can suck it.

This is a cool place to spend a few minutes to kill time in the airport. That’s the only nice I can say about it.
The selection is small and genuinely awkward. I needed a last minute at-​the-​airport gift and could not find anything suitable for a person that loves books and random weird stuff like Sin City playing cards.
Things are VERY overpriced, as you could expect to get hit with the «idiot tax» for not doing your shopping before hitting the airport and not having any other options — but there are! Walk across the walkway to Made in Oregon — you can do much better cost-​wise and quality-​wise than what you find in here.
And the clerk was one of the least friendly I have ever observed in any sort of bookstore. Not even the D&D or WoW type of bookstore clerk, just unfriendly all around.

PANIC. My Kindle died. Five more hours in transit. PANIC!
And Powell’s Books came to rescue (thank you!). I spent one of those five hours in the bookstore, browsing for good reads and looking at all the interesting knickknacks that I wanted so badly to impulsively purchase.
And to find that they carry used books? Awesome! What’s awesomer is that many of the books have a little colorful handwritten tag in front of it, briefly describing the book and why it is a good read. These people really put a lot of thoughts and passion into books, simply amazing!

Yay, Powell’s! Yay for opening more stores! Keep ‘em coming!
Let’s see. In this store, hubs found a last minute gift for me (but not a book!), I got some lip balm, an eco-​friendly (recycled paper, vegetable inks) pack of playing cards, and a new crossword book by my favorite author (David Levinson Wilk). Score! All that while browsing crafts from semi-​local artisans and surrounded by the spirits of good readers.
Now an airport shop certainly can’t hold a candle to the real Powell’s store, but all of the important touches are there.
1. Real readers work there! You can ask the employees their opinions about new releases and get recommendations from them based on other books that you like.
2. Selection, selection, selection! Sure, there’s no rare or out-​of-​print holdings – but you wouldn’t want to fly with those anyway.
3. Knick-​knacks. No need to stop at a Made in Oregon store as long as Powell’s is around.
Have fun, shoppers!

It’s hard to visit Portland without walking past or visiting a Powell’s Books. And I often find myself visiting this Concourse C Powell’s on both ends of my PDX flights. The bookstore is surprisingly spacious and features a nice selection of new and used books, journals, travel essentials, gifts, and of course a good selection of Portland’s own Queen Bee bags.
Powell’s PDX is not as big or as cool as the huge Renaissance Bookstore contained within MKE, but a first class literary facility is always welcome no matter where you take off from or land.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night…
This Powell’s is a regular stop for me at PDX. I usually pack practical (work related) or dense reading material for trips and then realize at the airport that what I really want is a guilty pleasure. For me, this is usually Ann Rule or Janet Evanovich.
This location is particularly wonderful, because they sell used books as well as gift items like Queen Bee bags, jewelry and travel essentials (neck pillows and masks). So if you need a last minute gift or forgot to pack something, you might just find something wonderful and stylish here.
While travel isn’t always as pleasant or as quick as we’d like, Powell’s can make the essential pleasurable. Or at least better than we expect.