Powell’s Books to Host First-Ever Warehouse Sale June 1-2

The bookseller is offering $3 hardcovers and $2 paperbacks while supplies last.

Powell's Books
By Rachel Saslow

Normally Powell’s Books’ warehouse in the Northwest Industrial District is only for staff, but the store is opening it up to the public for the first time ever June 1-2 for a massive sale. The shopping event will feature 30,000 books at very marked-down prices: $3 hardcovers, $2 paperbacks and $1 mass-market titles.

The flagship Powell’s City of Books on West Burnside Street famously occupies an entire city block and houses almost a million books. It turns out the warehouse holds an almost equal number of titles and it was time to clean house.

“We constantly churn books through the store,” says Jeremy Solly, marketing director. “We get tons of new books in the spring and fall and we need to make room to bring them in.”

Solly suggests shoppers bring bags and boxes to bring home their book hauls. The event will be held rain or shine, so the parking lot will be tented to protect the books and shoppers. There will be about 7,000 literature titles, 5,000 self-help books, 4,000 children’s books and 2,000 mysteries, among other genres.

Shoppers can fuel up at four food carts: Nico’s ice cream, Great Notion Brewing, Guilder Cafe and the food truck Nacheaux.

Powell’s planned the event to coincide with NW Marine Art Works’ spring open studios, which will occur across the street that weekend from 10 am to 4 pm. More than 50 local artists will showcase their jewelry, apparel, paintings, ceramics, sculptures and more.

SHOP: Powell’s Books Warehouse Sale, 2720 NW 29th Ave., 503-228-4651, powells.com. 10 am–4 pm Saturday–Sunday, June 1–2, or while supplies last.

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