Portland’s biggest bookstore covers a full city block, and two other West Coast shops win the rainy day another way
The best plan for a soggy West Coast day might not involve a trail at all. Sometimes the smartest move is to trade your boots for a bookstore and let the rain do its thing outside.
Portland, Seattle, and Mendocino each have a bookshop worth building a stop around, and no two of them feel alike. Here’s how to pick your rainy-day favorite, or string all three into one trip.
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Powell’s City of Books, Portland
Powell’s flagship claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world, and the footprint backs it up. It fills a full city block on the edge of the Pearl District, with about 68,000 square feet of retail space, nine color-coded rooms, and more than 3,500 sections.
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Walter Powell opened the first store in 1971, and the place has been swallowing afternoons ever since. My advice: pick two rooms before you walk in and ignore the rest, or you’ll leave with tired feet and no plan.
Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle
Elliott Bay opened in Pioneer Square on June 29, 1973, and moved to Capitol Hill in 2010. Its home at 1521 10th Avenue is a former Ford truck service building from around 1918, which is a pretty great second life for a garage.
The 2010 renovation reused all of the original cedar bookshelves, so the room feels warm even on the grayest day. The store carries around 150,000 titles and hosts more than 500 author events a year, so check the calendar before you go. Who doesn’t love a reading on a rainy night?
Gallery Bookshop, Mendocino
Gallery Bookshop sits at Main and Kasten Streets in the middle of Mendocino, and it has earned a reputation as one of the best and oldest independent bookstores in the country. It sells new books, a children’s section under the Bookwinkle’s name, and a little artwork on the side.
Mendocino is small enough that you can browse the shelves and still have time for a windswept walk on the headlands afterward. That mix of cozy and coastal is the whole point of the stop.
Which one should you pick?
If you only get one, go to Powell’s for sheer scale and Elliott Bay for atmosphere. Gallery Bookshop wins on small-town charm, and it’s the one that turns a bookstore visit into a coastal getaway.
Portland and Seattle are an easy pairing on a single I-5 trip, while Mendocino makes a great anchor for a longer drive down the coast. Which shop would you hit first? Tell us your favorite West Coast bookstore in the comments.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
