Powells.com stands atop the shoulders of a giant born in Chicago in 1970.

The business started humbly – when graduate student Michael Powell opened his first bookstore near the University of Chicago campus. Michael had borrowed $3,000 from a group of professors (including novelist Saul Bellow) to open the used books shop. With single-minded dedication to the business, he was able to repay the loan within two months and even take a short vacation that summer.

Walter Powell flew to Chicago to run the store in his son's absence. He enjoyed bookselling so much that he returned to Portland and opened his own store in 1971. In an unprecedented move, Walter began selling used books alongside new. His business boomed. He invited his son to join him in Portland; Michael came in 1979.

Less than a year later, father and son moved the burgeoning business to a larger home. The derelict space at Portland's 10th Avenue and West Burnside, once a used car dealership and car repair shop, was transformed into Powell's City of Books.

Prosperity followed, but not without sadness. Walter died in 1985, a year after the Beaverton opening of a second store. The City of Books – normally open 365 days a year – closed the day of the funeral. Powell's legacy continued to grow.

Six stores and several expansions later, Michael took the business online. The 1994 launch of Powell's technical book site experienced immediate success. Within two years, Powell's entire inventory was listed on the web.

Today, the City of Books takes up an entire city block and holds a computerized inventory of over a million titles – the largest used and new book selection under one roof in the world.

Powell's also operates three other full-service bookstores (Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing, Powell's on Hawthorne, and Powell's at PDX) and three specialty stores (Powell's Technical Books, Powell's Travel Store, and Powell's Books for Cooks & Gardeners), all in the greater Portland area.

The enormous inventory of Powells.com is housed on the very shelves of its bookstores. Despite industry concerns that online selling would hurt the stores, themselves, Powell's has not only survived, but expanded – both online and on the ground – by adding 25,000 sq. ft. to its flagship (or shall we say, mothership?) store on Burnside and by increasing the inventory of each section by 35%.

What does Powell's future hold? The independent bookstore is already a favorite among Portlanders and a pilgrimage destination for visitors to our city. Powells.com now makes used, new, and out-of-print books available to customers around the globe. The possibilities, stacked as high as the volumes on the top shelves, stretch as far as the modem and mind can reach.

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