PORTLAND, ORE. — The cash register at Powell's City of Books, the nation's preeminent independent bookstore, rings thousands of times a day as customers pick up new and used books, funky British editions, local literary journals and obscure zines.
It's a scene that has repeated itself, with some variation of scale, many times since the store opened in 1971. Powell's, which takes up a city block, has managed to thrive in this era of bookstore busts, thanks in part to a decision to move early and aggressively into online sales.
So why is there a creeping fear that Powell's, which has five other locations and a 60,000-square-foot warehouse, could soon get lost? According to Forbes magazine, "a cloud hangs over the business."
Michael Powell, 67, who founded the company and took over the main store from his father, Walter, a quarter-century ago, announced last year that he would gradually pass the operation to his 29-year-old daughter, whose business experience is limited. Although locals applauded the decision to keep the store in the family, it's hard to ignore the fact that generational handoffs rarely go as planned.
"Businesses don't transition very well," Powell said. "Most of them fail." But he didn't think twice when his daughter, Emily, told him she wanted to come back to Portland and take over. "I didn't have another option," he said.
Some customers think Powell's formula assures its future no matter what twists and turns the book business takes. To a certain kind of rabid reader, Powell's is an almost perfect blend of the massive scale of a chain bookstore and the bohemian vibe of a neighborhood independent.
The mystery section includes popular fare and rare early editions, and is stocked by someone well-versed enough to recognize that William Irish was one of noir author Cornell Woolrich's pen names. The staff is known for its bibliophilism: Jon Guetschow, 36, the store's head buyer and a comics fanatic, says that he can't afford to leave Powell's because the loss of the employee discount would ruin him.
Between staff, stock and its online muscle, Powell's looms over other beloved independent stores such as Denver's Tattered Cover and New York City's Strand.
But Powell, the man closest to the action, is not celebrating. He listed some of the things that have made the store noteworthy and successful -- the mix of new and used, the early Web presence, the symbiotic relationship with the city of Portland, with which he remains very involved -- and concluded: "That has carried us well to the moment. The moment is full of trepidation and uncertainty."
