Being homebound over the last year has resulted in a lot of us trying to catch up on our reading. Bookstores hold a special place in the hearts of Portlanders. They serve as important community hubs, fuel our passion for independent thought and have put Portland on the map as a literary destination. While Powell’s Books has risen to national prominence, we have a lot of other great independent bookstores around town. Here are some of our favorites.
- Alberta: Green Bean Books is a wild and whimsical community-based, independent children’s bookstore. They have an ever-growing selection of board books, picture books, beginning readers, beginning chapter books, middle-readers (tween books), young adult, and even adult titles. Art lovers rejoice at Monograph Bookwerks, which features a curated selection of books on modern and contemporary art and artists, architecture, graphic design, fashion, photography, artist biographies, countercultures, theory and art criticism.
- Beaumont: Kids reign supreme at A Children’s Place which opened its doors to Portland families more than forty years ago and has been helping to raise readers ever since. It is Portland’s oldest independent children’s bookstore and has a well-stocked array of parenting and educational titles as well as toys, games, and cards.
- Belmont Area: Belmont Books has a small but curated selection of books that always aims to surprise and delight customers.
- NE Broadway: An anchor of NE Broadway since 1992, Broadway Books is a women-owned bookstore that takes great pride in helping customers find wonderful reads, bringing together authors and readers and supporting local authors.
- Central Eastside: If you are looking for something from another era, Mother Foucault’s specializes in used, rare, and vintage books and spoken-word vinyl.
- Downtown: For those interested in Japanese culture, Kinokuniya is a must visit. This store carries carefully selected books, unique merchandise and Japanese stationery, with a focus on art and comics from Japan.
- Foster Area: Toys might get the spotlight at Hammer & Jacks but they also have a great selection of kids’ books. From “ABC books to little activist books,” they have a bit of everything for the little readers.
- Multnomah Village: If you live in Southwest Portland, Annie Bloom’s Books is your go to spot for a large range of books across many genres, plus magazines, CDs and cards.
- Northwest District: Your passion for books is well met at Daedalus Books. The new and used bookstore and has a strong concentration of art, philosophy, music, and literature, as well as a general stock.
- Soul District: For a great selection of BIPOC authors, visit Black Hat Books. It is home to unique collections of Latinx and Native-American literature and history, as well as one of the largest collections of African American literature, history, and poetry in the Pacific Northwest.
- St Johns: Revolutions Bookshop is a small, independent bookstore specializing in a curated selection of mostly used books, some new books, vinyl, and collectibles. Their academic and punk roots make for a bold selection in all genres, especially everything weird and wonderful. You’ll find yarn and books together at last Two Rivers Books & Weird Sisters Yarn, a community-minded, general interest, new titles bookstore.
This list is non-exhaustive so if you have another favorite independent bookshop, be sure to support them. What are you currently reading? Show us on Instagram and Facebook.