Powell's Books: Difference between revisions

| name = Powell's Books

| logo = Powell's City of Books (logo).png

| logo_alt = Powell's City of Books

| image = PowellsBookstore.jpg

| image_upright = 1.5

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Powell's City of Books in 2008, viewed from the corner of NW 10th & Burnside Street

| type =

| fate =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| foundation = {{Start date and age|1971|p=yes}}

| founder = Walter Powell

| owner = {{ubl|Emily and Chase Powell (1971–1982)|Michael Powell (1982–2010)|Emily Powell (2010–present)}}

| key_people = {{ubl|Emily Powell|Chase Powell}}

| defunct =

| location_city = [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]]

| location =

| locations = Four (three full-service locations and one specialty bookstore)

| industry = [[Retailing|Specialty retail]]

| products = New, used, and rare books, magazines, cards, and sidelines<ref name="pandw2010">{{Cite web |last=Chamberlin |first=Jeremiah |date= March–April 2010 |title=Inside Indie Bookstores: Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon |url=https://www.pw.org/print/567509?destination=content/inside_indie_bookstores_powell_s_books_in_portland_oregon |publisher=[[Poets & Writers]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref>

| production = =

| services =

| revenue = $45 million ({{as of|2009|lc=y}})<ref name="pbj201003" />

| net_income =
| aum =

| aum assets =

| assets equity =

| divisions subsid =

| footnotes intl =

'''Powell's Books''' is a chain of [[bookstore]]s in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], and its surrounding [[Portland metropolitan area|metropolitan area]]. Powell's headquarters, dubbed '''Powell's City of Books''', claims to be the largest [[independent bookstore|independent new and used bookstore]] in the world.<ref name="city of books">{{Cite web |title=Powell's Books on Burnside |url=https://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books |access-date=2009-03-12 |publisher=Powell's City of Books}}</ref> Powell's City of Books is located in the [[Pearl District]] on the edge of [[Downtown Portland|downtown]] and occupies a full [[city block]] between NW 10th and 11th Avenues and between W. Burnside and NW Couch Streets. It contains over {{convert|68,000|ft2|abbr=off}}, about 1.6 acres of retail floor space. CNN rates it one of the "coolest" bookstores in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frances Cha |date=July 30, 2014 |title=World's coolest bookstores |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/23/travel/worlds-coolest-bookstores/index.html |access-date=2016-06-18 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

The inventory for its retail and online sales is over four million new, used, [[Book collecting|rare]], and out-of-print books.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Internet Retailer Best of the Web 2006 |url=http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=16892#powells |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214233922/http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=16892#powells |archive-date=February 14, 2009 |access-date=2007-08-28 |publisher=[[Internet Retailer]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref> As of 2009, Powell's was buying around 3,000 used books a day.<ref name="burnside-2009">{{Cite web |title=Powell's City of Books |url=http://www.powells.com/info/places/burnsideinfo.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212042633/http://www.powells.com/info/places/burnsideinfo.html |archive-date=December 12, 2009 |access-date=2021-02-26 |publisher=Powell's Books}}</ref>

[[File:Powells-City-of-Books-NW-Entrance Portland-OR 2008-May.jpg|thumb|upright=.875|The City of Book's NW 11th & Couch entrance, featuring the "Pillar of Books"]]

Walter Powell's was founded by Walter Powell's in 1971. His son, Michael Powell, had started a bookstore in [[Chicago, Illinois]], in 1970 which specialized in used, rare, and discounted books, primarily of an academic and scholarly nature. In 1979, Michael Powell joined his father in Portland, right after his father's store was not offered a lease renewal; within a year, they found the location that became its current headquarters.<ref name="pandw2010" /> Michael bought the bookstore from his father in 1982.<ref name="funduni" />

In 1984,<ref name="suburb">[https://www.powells.com/locations/powells-books-at-cedar-hills-crossing Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227132702/http://www.powells.com/info/places/beavertoninfo.html|date=February 27, 2007}} from the company's website. Retrieved 2012-07-14.</ref><ref name="oreg-25nov84">"Loehmann's Plaza gains 85 percent occupancy". (November 25, 1984). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. D11.</ref> Powell's opened its first branch store, in a suburban shopping center named Loehmann's Plaza<ref name=oreg-25nov84/> (later renamed Cascade Plaza),<ref name="oreg-2june87">"Beaverton retail mall rechristened". (June 2, 1987). ''The Oregonian'', p. D8.</ref> near [[Washington Square (Oregon)|Washington Square]]. The new branch was not a replica of its City of Books location; Powell was concerned that the "edgy" neighborhood of its headquarters location was limiting its customer base, so the new store was "fairly fancy" with white shelving, a tile floor, and banners over the aisles.<ref name="pandw2010" /> It was also four times the size of the typical chain bookstore.<ref name="funduni" />

A travel bookstore was established in 1985 on [[Pioneer Courthouse Square]], and other stores followed, one a year for the next few years.<ref name="pandw2010" /> By the early 1990s, Powell's bookstores were part of the resurgence of the [[independent bookstore]], which collectively made 32 percent of book sales in the U.S.<ref name="funduni" /> The travel store closed in 2005.<ref name="oreg-2005feb7">Nkrumah, Wade (February 7, 2005). "Food carts at Pioneer Square may be ousted". ''The Oregonian'', p. C1.</ref>

The City of Books location grew to its current size after an expansion that opened in 1999; it included a new entrance facing the [[Pearl District]] which featured the "Pillar of Books", a [[Tenino, Washington|Tenino]] sandstone carving depicting a stack of eight of the world's great books, on a base with the inscription "Buy the book, read the book, enjoy the book, sell the book" in Latin.<ref name="funduni" /> For the year ending June 2000, Powell's revenue was $41.8 million.<ref name="funduni">[http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Powells-Books-Inc-Company-History.html Powell's Books, Inc.] from fundinguniverse.com</ref>

In January 2008, Powell's announced plans to expand the downtown City of Books by adding as many as two floors to the store's southeast corner. The expansion was due to add at least {{convert|10000|sqft|m2|abbr=off}} of new retail space.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Sam |date=November 13, 2008 |title=New design for Powell's Books features an art cube |url=http://djcoregon.com/news/2008/11/13/new-design-for-powells-books-features-an-art-cube/ |access-date=2016-06-18 |newspaper=[[Daily Journal of Commerce]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gunderson |first=Laura |date=January 22, 2008 |title=Powell's plans expansion in two years |work=The Oregonian |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/01/powells_plans_expansion_in_two.html |access-date=2007-01-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nawotka |first=Edward |date=January 23, 2008 |title=Powell's to Expand Flagship in 2010, Absorb Technical Store |work=Publishers Weekly |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6524823.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2007-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209233242/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6524823.html |archive-date=February 9, 2008}}</ref> Plans submitted to the Portland Design Commission in November 2008 called for a rooftop garden atop the new addition and an "art cube" over a redesigned main entrance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bestseller or return for refund? Powell's unveils design for new entrance to flagship store |url=https://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/2008/11/powells-unveils-design-for-new-entrance-to-flagship-store.html |website=Portland Architecture}}</ref>

In March 2010, Michael Powell confirmed plans to hand over management of the business to his daughter Emily as of July.<ref name="pandw2010" /> That same month, Powell's announced it would close its technical bookstore on the [[North Park Blocks]], moving its sections on math, science, computing, engineering, construction, and transportation into "Powell’sPowell's Books Building 2" at the corner of 10th and Couch Street, near the main City of Books location;. theThe consolidation was in response to a five-year decline in [[brick-and-mortar]] sales of technical books in favor of online sales.<ref name="pbj201003">{{Cite news |date=March 4, 2010 |title=Powell's to move Tech Store |work=[[Portland Business Journal]] |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/03/01/daily57.html |access-date=2010-12-07}}</ref>

In October 2010, Powell's announced it had bought 7,000 books from the library of author [[Anne Rice]]; Powell's offered these [[association copy|association copies]] on their website.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Giegerich |first=Andy |date=October 26, 2010 |title=Powell's Books buys Anne Rice collection |work=[[Portland Business Journal]] |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2010/10/26/powells-books-buys-anne-rice-collection.html |access-date=2010-12-07}}</ref> The bookstore was revealed as a charter member of the [[Google eBooks]] service when the news was announced by Google on December 6, 2010.<ref name="googebook2010">{{Cite web |date=December 6, 2010 |title=Discover more than 3 million Google eBooks from your choice of booksellers and devices |url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/discover-more-than-3-million-google.html |access-date=2010-12-06 |website=Official blog |publisher=[[Google]]}}</ref>

Starting in May 2012,<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2012 |title=The Espresso Book Machine Arrives at Powell's Books |url=http://www.ondemandbooks.com/docs/powells-the-EBM-arrives.pdf |access-date=2012-05-14 |website=Press release |publisher=OnDemandBooks.com }}</ref> Powell's began offering access to [[print on demand]] books via the [[Espresso Book Machine]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=EBM Locations: List View |url=http://ondemandbooks.com/ebm_locations_list.php |access-date=2012-05-14 |publisher=OnDemandBooks.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hallett |first=Alison |date=May 4, 2012 |title=More on Powells' New Espresso Book Machine |work=[[The Portland Mercury]] |url=http://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2012/05/04/more-on-powells-new-espresso-book-machine |access-date=2014-06-06}}</ref>

In 1991, following some post-holiday lay-offs, some of Powell's employees formed an organizing committee, seeking to become part of the Oregon Public Employees Union (OPEU). They gotsucceeded in getting more than 35% of the employeesworkers to sign union cards, but chosebecause notless tothan file65% forof athem unionhad certificationdone electionso—the becauseOPEU's lesssuggested thanthreshold—they 65%decided hadnot signed,to afile thresholdfor suggesteda byunion thecertification OPEUelection.<ref name="ilwu">[http://www.ilwulocal5.com/about/we-are-the-ilwu/we-are-ilwu-local-5/ilwu-local-5-powells-books/history ILWU Local 5: A Brief History of Local 5: Powell’s Books, Inc.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116051423/http://www.ilwulocal5.com/about/we-are-the-ilwu/we-are-ilwu-local-5/ilwu-local-5-powells-books/history |date=January 16, 2011 }} from the [[International Longshore and Warehouse Union|ILWU]] Local 5 website</ref> In response to issues identified by the organizing employees, Powell's updated and expanded its employee handbook in April 1992 with changes that addressed processes for problem solving and grievances, the probation and termination procedure, and other employee assistance, among other changes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In September 1998, an email from Powell's managers announcing reductions in employee's wage increases prompted the creation of a new organizing committee of 26 employees. They chose the [[International Longshore and Warehouse Union]] (ILWU) because they could charter their own self-governing [[local union]] which would include about 350 employees serving in a variety of jobs in all stores and in the Internet, corporate, and shipping departments. By March 1999, they had filed for a union certification election with the [[National Labor Relations Board]]. A month later, by a vote of 161–155, ILWU Local 5 became official.<ref name="ilwu" />

In February 2011, Powell's announced the layoffs of 31 employees, over 7% of its unionized workforce, in “response to the unprecedented, rapidly changing nature of the book industry"." It was the first round of layoffs since the store's workers formed a union. A union representative said that Powell's had reduced its workforce by about 40 in the prior year through attrition, but felt that layoffs were still necessary because of a decline in sales of new books and a rise in health care costs.<ref name="NY Times Arts Beat">{{Cite news |last=Bosman |first=Julie |date=February 9, 2011 |title=Powell's Books Announces Layoffs |work=[[The New York Times]] Arts Beat blog |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/powells-books-announces-layoffs/ |access-date=2011-02-09}}</ref>

In response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Powell's announced the closing of its five locations and the termination of nearly all employees in mid-March 2020.<ref name="latimes2020">{{Cite news |last=Pineda |first=Dorany |date=March 18, 2020 |title=Powell's, Portland's beloved indie bookstore, will lay off most workers |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-03-18/powells-portlands-beloved-indie-bookstore-lays-off-most-workers |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> The letter released by CEO Emily Powell on March 17, 2020, did not discloseprovide the exactprecise number of employeeslayoffs thatin werethe laidletter she released offon March 17, 2020. However, roughly 85% of the 400 members of the company's unionized workforce were terminated.<ref name="oregonlive2020">{{Cite news |last=Rogoway |first=Mike |date=March 16, 2020 |title=Powell's expands coronavirus layoff, warns it will be 'several months' before normal operations |work=The Oregonian |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/03/powells-expands-coronavirus-layoff-warns-it-will-be-several-months-before-normal-operations.html |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> MoreThe thanunion 100noted formerthat staffersonly were then rehired to fulfill a large surge49 of online orders, but the unionmore pointedthan out100 thatformer only 49employees were union-represented, and that the rest wereremaining managers who were now doingperforming front-line workduties normallytypically doneperformed by represented employees. This was in response to a large surge in online orders.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.powells.com/featured/communitymessage |title=ArchivedPowell's Books COVID-19 copyResponse |website=www.powells.com |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329201856/http://www.powells.com/featured/communitymessage |archive-date=29 March 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite news |title=Powell's recalls some workers to sell books online during coronavirus outbreak |publisher=The Oregonian |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2020/03/powells-recalls-some-workers-to-sell-books-online-during-coronavirus-outbreak.html}}</ref> In July 2020, Powell's announced that the store and kiosk in the [[Portland International Airport]] would remain closed permanently.<ref name="airport">{{Cite news |author=KATU Staff |date=2020-07-27 |title=PDX airport Powell's Books locations close permanently |url=https://katu.com/news/local/pdx-airport-powells-books-locations-close-permanently |access-date=2021-07-13}}</ref>