Is there a better book store than Powell's Books?

No. There is not a better bookstore than Powell's.

Even the mini-Powell's are better than most bookstores.

we don't have powell's in canada, and from what i've seen they look pretty cool

There aren't any Powell's outside Portland, Oregon but other than their flagship store they have one or two smaller stores plus a Technical books, Cook books and Travel books stores.

main store is 77,000 sq feet, 1,000,000+ books.....and the people who work there know books....how cool (rare) is that??

i've been to their website a few times, they advertise in the utne reader magazine, i never really paid any attention their location

i don't feel quite so bad now

Many people in NYC (Manhattan) think of Strand's on Broadway and W. 12th St. as a destination, just to browse the sale books inside/outside. It is not that it is so big, but it just has a reputation, having been in Greenwich Village for a long time (I believe), that some folks just consider it sort of a place to periodically pilgramage, in my opinion. After leaving Strand's there is some sort of placebo effect that leaves me feeling healthier, happier, at peace with the world? I think it is partially due to it being in the NYU area (New York University), with all the busyness of that area (including Union Square Park). If one does not appreciate lower Manhattan, then it might not affect one, as it affects me.

I agree with Foofie.

I made a mistake. Strand's is east of Fifth Ave. (Fifth Ave. divides east from west streets), so it would be on the corner of Broadway and E. 12th St., not W. 12th St.

I love the Strand bookstore. I can't imagine a trip to NYC without a couple of trips to the Strand. I usually pick up a couple of books the first day there to read while I'm at the Mission, leave them there at the end of the trip, pick up more books to take home.

The racks outside are craziness. Following the staff around as they load up the racks with new stock is a lot of fun, if you don't mind some of the stinky academic types you have to shove out of the way.

ooh, I love the Strand too--they advertise 18 miles of books, which might be a bit of an overstatement, but not by much. My relatives give me a gift certificate to the Strand for Xmas every year and I disappear into it and emerge hours (or days) later, dusty and triumphant, with amazing stuff.

Brattle Bookstore in Boston ain't too shabby either. Ken Gloss, who's I think the third generation to own and run it, is one of the book experts on "Antiques Roadshow". And their used book prices start at a buck

Here's one I've never been to, that has lasted well, if not easily -

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_27792334/joyce-meskis-selling-tattered-cover

Quite a good and heartening article, business-wise, and also because of the owner's integrity. I remember that one or more a2kers liked the bookstore, but not who. Very likely, Dyslexia.
Long may it prosper.

Hi Hawkeye10,
I don't know about Powell's Bookstore, but after reading your thread I can believe that it's a great store