Powell's Books, with seven different locations, is a bookstore in the Portland metropolitan area. For the metropolitan area in Maine see Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters location, Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. An Independent bookstore is a Retail Bookstore which is independently owned. [1] Powell's City of Books is located in the Pearl District on the edge of downtown, and occupies a full city block, between NW 10th and 11th Avenues and between W Burnside and NW Couch Streets. The Pearl District is an area of former Warehouses light industrial and Railroad Classification yards in Portland Oregon Downtown Portland is located on the west bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is open 365 days a year, and contains over 68,000 ft² (6,300 m² or about 1. 6 acres) of retail floor space. [1] since 2005 it has also offered DVDs, with an inventory of over 40,000, only available online. At its retail stores it shelves all new and used books side-by-side. It buys around 3000 used books a day. [1]
Powell's has had an Internet presence which began as email and ftp based access to its technical bookstore and has since expanded to incorporate fiction and other genres. [2] Their website was established in 1994, before Amazon.com, and has contributed substantially to the chain's recent growth. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. [3]
Contents |
History
Powell's was founded by Walter Powell in 1971. His son, Michael Powell, had started a bookstore in Chicago, Illinois in 1970 which specializes in used, rare, and discounted books, primarily academic and scholarly. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Michael Powell soon joined his father in Portland, leading the expansion business to what it is today. The Chicago-area stores still exist, but under different ownership. [4]
Some of the store's actions have made big news in Portland. When the Oregon Citizens Alliance qualified Ballot Measure 9 in 1992, an anti-gay rights measure, the bookstore actively campaigned against the measure. The Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA is a conservative Christian political activist organization founded by Lon Mabon in the U Ballot Measure 9 was a ballot measure in the US state of Oregon in 1992, concerning Gay rights and Public education, A few years later, a prolonged labor dispute between Powell's employees and Michael Powell over unionizing the employees tarnished Michael Powell's reputation as a champion of liberal causes. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming [5] Powells. com is the only major online bookseller to be unionized.
In 2002, Powell's was cited by USA Today as one of America's 10 best bookstores[6]. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company.
Michael Powell announced in June 2006 that he plans to hand over the business at some future date to his daughter, Emily. [7]
In January 2008, Powell's announced plans to expand the downtown City of Books by adding as many as two floors to the store's southeast corner. The expansion will add at least 10,000 square feet (930 m²) of new retail space, and will house Powell's technical books, which are moving from their current location in the company's other building on Northwest Park Avenue. [8][9]
List of locations
In addition to its "City of Books" location, Powell's Books also has several smaller stores:
- a technical bookstore on the North Park Blocks, a few blocks east of the main store
- a 32,500 ft² (3,000 m²) general bookstore with the "largest children's book section of any book store on the West Coast", located at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton and opened in November 2006, replacing a decades-old location near Washington Square less than half its size;[10]
- another in Portland's Hawthorne District;
- a store with cooking and gardening materials two spaces east of the Hawthorne store; and
- three stores at the Portland International Airport, offering popular fiction and non-fiction, "choice" used books, games, toys, and a wide range of gifts. Washington Square is a Shopping mall in the Portland Oregon suburb of Tigard. The Hawthorne District in Portland Oregon is an area of Southeast Portland that runs along SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland International Airport is the largest airport in the U [11]
References
- ^ a b c Powell's Books on Burnside. Powell's City of Books. Retrieved on 2007-08-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital
- ^ History of Powells.com from its website
- ^ Baker, Lisa (March 19, 2004). Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Powell’s success story adds a chapter. Portland Tribune. The Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published each Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States. Retrieved on 2007-08-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital
- ^ History of Powell's Books from the company's website
- ^ Giegerich, Andy (December 5, 2003). Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Powell’s owner and his workers: between a book and a hard place. Portland Tribune. The Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published each Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States. Retrieved on 2007-08-28. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital
- ^ USA Today, January 21, 2002. "10 Great Places to Crawl Between the Covers"
- ^ Powell's in the Press. Powell's Books. Retrieved on 2006-07-28. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason.
- ^ Gunderson, Laura (January 22, 2008). Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Powell's plans expansion in two years. OregonLive. com. Retrieved on 2007-01-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled
- ^ Nawotka, Edward (January 23, 2008). Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common PPowell’s to Expand Flagship in 2010, Absorb Technical Store. Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-01-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled
- ^ Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing from the company's website
- ^ Powell's Books at PDX from the company's website
External links
- Powell's website, including a tour of the City of Books
- Website for ILWU Local 5, Powell's employee's union
- Seattle Times article (registration required)
- Best of the Web summary from Forbes
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic