Stumbled into a tiny bookstore in Portland and it wrecked my Amazon habit

I was in Portland last month for a dental conference and ducked into this little place called Powell's just to kill time. I figured I'd browse for 10 minutes and leave. But I ended up spending almost 3 hours there because the staff had handwritten notes stuck on shelves next to books they actually loved. One note said "this novel made me ugly cry in public" and I grabbed it immediately. I used to think buying books online was just faster and cheaper, and sure it is, but I never got that feeling of discovery or someone's genuine excitement. I walked out with 4 books I'd never heard of and now I'm 2 in and they're both fantastic. Has anyone else had a physical store totally change how you shop for something?

2 comments

2 Comments

cora5185d ago

Powell's is legendary for those handwritten notes, I grabbed a cookbook there once just because the note said "my grandma would approve.

the_wendy4d ago

Oh, I love that story! I actually heard about this from a coworker who visited Powell's last year. She said the staff there really take time to read books and leave those little notes, they don't just slap a generic sticker on them. It sounds like such a rare thing these days, especially with how much of the book world has moved online. I can totally see why a note like "my grandma would approve" would make you grab a cookbook, even if you weren't planning on buying one. It adds a personal touch that just can't be found on Amazon or through a screen. Makes me wish more stores would try something like that.