Powell's City of Books
ShopPearl District#06 of 50

Powell's City of Books

Portland, Oregon

Photo: Powell's City of Books

An entire city block of new and used books, color-coded by room, organized by an internal logic that rewards wandering. Powell's is the largest independent bookstore in the world, and browsing it feels less like shopping and more like getting lost in someone's impossibly vast personal library. You will leave with more books than you intended. Everyone does.

Insider tip

Start in the Gold Room — rare books and first editions behind glass. Then let yourself drift. The staff picks are uniformly excellent.

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