Powell’s is the bookstore everyone knows. The bookstore worth your time is on the east side, and you’ve probably walked past it twice without going in.
Powell’s City of Books is structurally impressive — ten color-coded rooms, around a million books, all of it built into a city block. It is also overwhelming, often crowded, and the staff don’t have time to recommend things to you. If you want to BE in a bookstore for an afternoon, Powell’s is the answer. If you want to leave with a book you’ll actually read, there’s a better option.
Mother Foucault’s on SE Morrison is small, calm, and curated. Used books only; about 8,000 of them across one room and a small loft. The owner reads everything she sells; the recommendations stuck to the front of shelves are hers. If you tell her what you read last and liked, she will give you the next thing.
The store specializes in literary fiction, philosophy, and small-press poetry. There’s a section in the back for books published by the in-house imprint (Mother Foucault’s also publishes a small list each year — recent titles are good). The biography section is small but selective; you’ll find Lispector and Bowles but not the latest celebrity memoir.
Hours are limited and inconsistent. Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Friday and Saturday afternoons, sometimes Sunday. Check the website before you go. If you can’t make those hours: Annie Bloom’s in Multnomah Village is the next-best option, and they’re open every day.