With numerous best-selling authors inspired by locations in the state, Oregon’s literary roots run deep. Its independent bookshops are equally inspiring, focused on everything from rare art and magic to textiles and graphic novels. Bookstores are also a great place to find community — whether that means young readers or crafters — along with gifts for just about everyone on your list. Here’s a collection of some of the best places to shop for books in Oregon.
Find Your Favorite Page-Turner in Portland
No matter your interests, there’s bound to be a bookstore to tickle your fancy. Art lovers will swoon over Monograph Bookwerks in Northeast Portland, which specializes in rare art and architecture titles. You’ll also find ephemera like vintage political buttons, exhibition and concert posters, original artwork and studio pottery. Fans of comics and graphic novels shouldn’t miss Cosmic Monkey Comics in Northeast Portland, with tens of thousands of titles.
The rise of Backstory Books & Yarn is a classic Portland tale: Its first location was at a food-cart pod. The brick-and-mortar location in Southeast Portland specializes in textiles, fashion, Black history and books written by women. You can also stock up on knitting and crocheting supplies.
Two queer-owned Portland bookstores to add to your list include Bishop & Wilde — where you can also shop for plants, records, gifts and art — and Field Day Books & Bottles — where you can sip a cold beer and browse cookbooks, foraging and outdoor guides. Linger for tasting events and game nights.
A visit to Portland wouldn’t be complete without browsing Powell’s City of Books downtown, the world’s largest independent bookstore. Overflowing with titles on almost every subject imaginable, it’s the perfect place to spend an afternoon.
Community Bookstores in the Willamette Valley and Along the Oregon Coast
In the Willamette Valley, you’ll find several independent bookshops with a unique point of view. Near Salem the Mount Angel Abbey Bookstore is on the gorgeous grounds of Mount Angel Abbey. Be sure also to visit the Mount Angel Abbey Library, designed by world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
Fans of graphic novels, manga and comics should hit up Eugene’s Books With Pictures, which also offers a manga club, game nights and trivia. Nearby Daffodil Romantasy Books & Gifts is a cozy shop that spotlights romance and fantasy titles. Stick around for a mocktail and crafting or movie night. Hodgepodge Books & Taps is Eugene’s only book bar, with taps of craft beer, cider and kombucha offered alongside a carefully curated selection of titles. Cozy seating areas, author readings and writing workshops give customers even more reasons to return.
Visitors to Florence — west of Eugene on the Coast — should hit up The Brass Bell, a new shop with gorgeous leather-bound classics, journals, stationery, gifts and more.
On the South Coast, visit Port Orford’s new Book & Tackle for rare and used books on ecology, natural history, foraging, cooking and local history. Anglers can shop for hand-tied fishing flies and supplies. At nearby Sea Wolf Books & Community Writing Center, you’ll find new and used books as well as workshops and literary events. With two floors of new and used books and a cafe with work by local artists, the largest bookstore on the Coast, Gold Beach Books, is well worth a visit.
Choose Your Reading Adventure Elsewhere in Oregon
In the Rogue Valley, visit Aquarius Books, Rocks & Gifts in Grants Pass for a wide array of New Age and spirituality titles to nurture personal growth, alongside an array of crystals, incense and the like. Group meditation, sound baths and intuitive readings round out the event calendar. Ashland’s magical TreeHouse Books has been capturing the imagination of kids and teens for over three decades. The shelves are stocked with an array of inclusive books, whimsical costumes, small toys and art supplies to spark creativity.
Oregon’s high desert is home to the iconic Paulina Springs Books in downtown Sisters, a community hangout with a thoughtful selection of outdoor titles and local authors. Shop puzzles, board games and toys, or head to the cozy game room and challenge a new friend to a round of Scrabble. In Redmond’s historic downtown, Herringbone Books features a blend of bestsellers, regional titles, children’s books, toys, games and gift items.
Both Roundabout Books and Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe in Bend offer a wide selection of titles as well as comfy cafes where you can relax and dive into a new book. Black Bird Tea & Tales in Madras is a new bookshop where you can sip tea while enjoying your selection from the specialty collection of sci-fi/fantasy, magic, herbalism and natural-living books.
The Next Chapter Bookstore in Hermiston is owned by a mother-daughter duo with a shared love of literature and the arts. The two transformed their dance studio into a bookstore during the pandemic, stocking the shelves with most every literary genre. You’ll also find a yarn wall with knitting and crocheting supplies and an in-house cafe with yummy seasonal drinks.
