Powell’s City of Books: World’s Largest Independent Bookstore Connects Kids with Books

Scholastic Kid Reporter Owen Marksbury with Nancy Eyre and Bry Hoeg of Powell’s City of Books.

Powell’s City of Books, a family-owned independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, has been selling books for more than 50 years. The four-story building spans one city block and contains many rooms of books, similar to a maze. According to the staff, Powell’s is the world’s largest independent bookstore, with more than 600,000 books in a thousand categories. On a recent visit, over a dozen people lined up outside waiting for it to open. The popularity of the bookstore shows how much it is loved in the community.

“We can connect people with the books they want because we do have such a variety,” says Nancy Eyre, lead bookseller in the kid’s section. In an interview, I asked Eyre how she helps kids find books they will like.

“Generally it’s a conversation with the customer and asking them a lot of questions about things they’re interested in – usually a lot of like ‘what’s a book you’ve read recently?’” she says. “That really helps guide the way.”

Currently, Eyre says many kids are interested in mystery and fantasy books. Books about the children’s TV character Bluey are big right now with young readers. Book series in general and graphic novels are also really popular.

Eyre adds that graphic novels can be a great choice for reluctant readers. Like all books, they support literacy. They can especially improve visual literacy, or the understanding of how images tell a story, she explains. 

Powell’s City of Books huge kid’s section offers a variety of books for kids of all ages

“A Bookstore for Everyone”

Bry Hoeg, Powell’s store manager, says visitors often talk about how much Powell’s means to them. For many people, coming to the store was an activity they did regularly with their family when they were kids.

“The bookstore is both part of people’s current lives and their past,” Hoeg says. “They’re nostalgic for that feeling of coming to Powell’s for the first time, or really any bookstore, especially if they’re big readers.”

Hoeg says she wants Powell’s to be a welcoming place. “We think everyone is a reader and want to be a bookstore for everyone.”

For the many kids who visit Powell’s, that’s exactly what it is.