The people of Portland Oregon are a breed apart. Home to the hipster and the hippie, the people of Portland have to have a different mindset to survive the 6-9 months of misty rains. Stephanie Meyer’s an Arizona native may be able to sell the idea that ‘rain is fun’ to t’weens and soccer moms, but those of us who actually live in a land where you may not see the sun for weeks if not months on end can tell you, it can really suck. The consolidation for the crappy weather is the vibrant arts scene.
The rain keeps the artists hostage in their studios, and Portland produces some great galleries, local bands, and lovely writers and even more readers.
Alberta Street the heart of the NE’s urban renewal is a hipster’s paradise. The Pearl is the place to find affluence and effluence. And then there’s Powell’s in downtown.
No institution is more Portland than Powell’s. It totes that its the largest new and used bookstore in the world, but having hit the book row in Kyoto I have my doubts. World’s largest or not, Powell’s is huge and synonymous with Portland.
Tourists and Yuppies always complete a trip to P-town with a Powell’s visit. Some 3,000 people buy something from the store, and another 3,000 a day just come to browse or get a coffee. Powell’s most definitely is a majestic bookstore, its huge. Take it from a weekend local, I have gotten lost in its shelves more than once. Still, Powell’s is the less the niche and more of the Costco of used books. It’s less magic than the hype, and frankly I’ve had enough.
So I am saying it; Powell’s is not that great.
6,000 people a day is a crowd even in the labyrinth of Powell’s shelves. You are constantly saying ‘scuse me’ and ‘let slip through please’. The browsers are happy to move and the serious shopper are peeved to be bothered, understandable. The prices are as printed on new print books and then they go up way when an author shows up for an event, which if you have to cover for an author’s book tour I suppose I understand, but I don’t quite buy it. As for used prices, they aren’t bargains.
Still, you can’t beat the selection right? I am not so sure, I really hate having to trip and pardon my way past throngs people in the hopes of finding my odd book.
Parking is crap at Powell’s, they might as well get rid of the garage and just add to their shelf space, because 40 spots is nothing for the hordes. And Portland traffic is insane. I got in an accident trying to park at Powell’s… so that 6 dollar Dick Francis book turned into a 600 dollar bumper from some crazy in a ’87 sedan.
And finally, Powell’s is HORRIBLE about actually buying books. They say they buy 3,000 a day to keep stock up. I have not had any success selling them books, nor have any of my friends. In fact I do not know a single person who has actually been able to sell a book to Powell’s. Its frustrating to fight the traffic, crowds, and lines to simply get to a counter and be told,”your books are in great condition but we don’t want them.” You see people just abandon piles of books that Powell’s wouldn’t take after all that wasted effort.
And the employee’s… they deal with crowds, big ones, so really I can’t blame them for being impersonal. But they could at least be helpful. AT LEAST BE HELPFUL!
So that’s it I am disenchanted.
So what if you’re supposedly the biggest, going in just isn’t worth my time. There are smaller independent booksellers that I’d rather deal with, who’ve farer prices, less crowds, and employees who I want to deal with and who want to deal with me. I won’t wish you bad luck, but I will be doing my business somewhere else.
