Powell's City of Books, in Portland, is trying to make its way through the storm of the digital age.
From a piece in the Oregonian...
The nearly 40-year-old retailer, a tourist destination that requires a map for many to navigate, is defined by its 68,000 square feet of new, used and rare books. Indeed, Powell's and other independent bookstores have flourished for years thanks to their deep collections, comfy chairs, hot coffee and clerks who can almost read book hunters' minds and lead them to sought-after works.
That may not be enough anymore.
These days, bricks-and-mortar stores have become a bookseller's biggest liability.
It's simply easier and cheaper to buy books online. Shoppers often can track down titles, especially bestsellers by big-name authors, for as much as half off through electronic readers such as a Kindle, or at Amazon.com or Walmart.com. They can be shipped to your front door or downloaded almost instantly on to an e-reader.
Perhaps, mused one industry expert, bookstores of the future will be showrooms, allowing shopper to thumb through pages and then download a selection.
"The Powell's model that has been so successful is really being challenged by new competitors, new technology and new shopping habits," said Tom Gillpatrick, a retail marketing professor at Portland State University.
"They need to go back and rethink that business model," he said, "otherwise it'll just be ratcheting down and down -- unless there's some huge wave of nostalgia."
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