Home to a thriving music scene and a plethora of local businesses ranging from food cart pods to crafty boutiques, Portland has an extensive history as a city of inclusion and expression. These small businesses are integral to the Portland community, providing variety and sustainability. Whether tucked into a small food cart pod, occupying a former home in a residential neighborhood, or several stories high above busy Burnside St., many independently-owned neighborhood bookstores have become vital to the communities in which they are established. These bookstores can act as a third-space, a place that is neither home nor school, somewhere free of obligation for many. Portland’s literary community specifically helps to foster these sorts of environments, providing unique spaces for every interest and enjoyment, while promoting local authors.
Amanda Doimas founded Backstory Books & Yarn in 2014 and has been the sole owner since. She explains that in her experience, Portlanders tend to enjoy “hunting for things, and they enjoy second-hand goods.” She continues, saying, “I just really don’t think I could have such a successful bookstore anywhere else.”
Backstory Books & Yarn is located on SE Hawthorne Blvd., where it’s been for almost eight years. For many, the appeal of second-hand bookstores is the level of personal curation available to owners. Unlike chain bookstores, where titles are often selected based on general preference and popularity, owners of local bookstores often have more sway in the curation of books available and have unique opportunities to highlight often marginalized voices. Doimas takes a direct approach to this representation. “In all of my sections, I try to buy more women authors than any others,” she explains. Additionally, she has established sections aiming to highlight Black and queer voices, which are often overlooked. Although these sections can help customers discover these books, she ensures that no singular demographic is confined to one section of the store. “It’s one thing to highlight them, and it’s another thing to pigeon-hole them,” Doimas explains.
Although independent bookstores create spaces for a myriad of authors, oftentimes, a moral dilemma accompanies this individualized curation. In the process of previewing books for the store, it may arise that an author’s message or political views are not ones bookstore owners see fit to highlight. An example is the “Harry Potter” series. Much beloved by children and adults alike, “Harry Potter” has been a fantasy staple since 1997. In 2019, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling first expressed transphobic views online and has since remained vocal in her opposition to transgender people. This puts booksellers who do not share her views in a difficult position. Doimas explains that because the “Harry Potter” series is so popular, she makes an effort to carry the books used. This way, profits are not going to the author, and the novels are accessible to those who wish to buy them. Doimas can support the local community in their literature preferences while upholding personal ideals.
New and used neighborhood bookstores alike take part in this representation through curation, and in doing so, help to uplift the local community. Broadway Books — founded by Gloria Borg Olds and Roberta Dyer in 1992 — spotlights marginalized voices and helps to support local authors. Current owner Kim Bissell details, “We do a lot to try to promote books from local authors, whether it’s through … events that we’re hosting, emails that we send, or books that we sell when we’re in the store.” Additionally, Broadway Books has a consignment program for local self-published authors. This program allows authors to display their books in the store and receive profits from the books that are sold. It’s a lower-risk way to support new or local authors while providing an interesting variety to local customers. “We make a very consistent effort to make sure that every one of our displays has a full range of voices [represented],” Bissell says. She adds, “One of our tenets is to make sure that we are sharing as many stories as possible.” To achieve this, Broadway Books carries a wide range of titles. Their Year of Reading program — although not featured in recent years — selects an author to feature, and for that year, works by that author are 20% off. Past featured authors have included Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. More recently, the 2024 Year of Reading featured Archipelago Press, a nonprofit publishing house dedicated to bringing translated work into the United States. “[They feature] books from all over the world, whether it be Palestinian, Egyptian, South American, or even European,” Bissell details. She adds, “[The] Year of Reading specifically highlight[s] an area that we feel like we could read more of ourselves, and be willing to talk about ourselves every year.”
Alongside these in-store initiatives, Broadway Books works directly with several reading programs county-wide. For Multnomah County Library’s annual Everybody Reads project, a discount is offered on the selected book and a group book discussion is hosted in the store. Other community outreach programs include donations to local schools, assisting with the Gift Guide featured in local newspaper Willamette Week, and hosting author events in-store. Many aspects of these programs are unique to neighborhood bookstores, providing community-oriented access and representation. “We love being an independent bookstore,” says Bissell. “We love not being required to do certain things by partners, [and] we love being able to share what we want to share.”
Ruby Meyers is a manager at Annie Bloom’s Books, where she’s worked since 2013. Annie Bloom’s Books opened in 1978 and works closely with a wide range of local programs to assist the local community. Meyers explains, “We work closely with local librarians to run book fairs, and connect local authors with a fabulous community of booksellers. We feel honored to have been in Multnomah Village since we opened, and we have had the opportunity to build relationships with so many local organizations.” Additionally, this outreach includes collecting donations for Street Books, SMART Reading, Willamette Writers, and Neighborhood House. These organizations are non-profit, with many aiming to bring community and literature to impoverished communities.
Third Eye Books is another bookstore that attempts to support community-based organizations based in Portland, with the goal of uplifting and empowering Portland residents. Michelle Lewis and Charles Hannah founded Third Eye Books Accessories & Gifts LLC in 2019. The store is located on SE 33rd Ave., and strives to uplift customers through spiritual wellness and cultural pride. As explained on their website, they are proud to be 100% Black owned and operated. Their vision “is to be the number one supplier of African-centered books, accessories, and gifts in the Portland Metro Area.” Their featured books range from “107 Days,” by former Vice President Kamala Harris, to “A is for Activist,” a children’s board book by Innosanto Nagara.
Neighborhood bookstores hold unique significance to the communities they are in. Joanna Szabo, who works at Annie Bloom’s Books, explains her understanding of neighborhood bookstores as being in direct opposition to their chain counterparts. “Independent bookstores are a bastion that the reading community can gather around in the face of big business, and all that big business means: bad working conditions, impersonal service, and a disconnect from the local community.” She continues, saying, “Indie bookstores remember that books are about learning and community, while big businesses wish it w[ere] just about consumption.”
Independent and neighborhood bookstores hold significance to their communities beyond convenience and traditional perceptions. Through the voice they give to local authors, their direct support of community members, and their ability to represent the underrepresented, neighborhood bookstores effectively capture exactly what it means to be a Portlander.
