2nd Avenue Records is a staple PDX record shop located nearby the Downtown/Chinatown area. Street…read moreparking is the way to go and there is tons of it around the area. Inside, they have a pretty nice setup with lots of records to dig through. Prices are very fair and they have a solid selection across different genres. The staff here are very chill and welcoming. You could definitely stop by for some crate digging and then walk around all the other shops in the area as well.

Great place. Tons of vinyl, though most of what I saw was new reissues (as opposed to your local…read moreused record store). Had some Interesting Beatles collections that were begging me to drop large sums of money, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Staff if helpful in a funky record store sort of way. (It's not Disney World, for God's sake! ) I'll likely duck in each time I'm in Portland, just for posterity and all.

This place has a fantastic selection of vinyl records! I love how organized everything is. They…read morehave a wide variety of music genres, from hip-hop, soul, rock/r&b to soundtracks. Their rock/r&b section was pretty big but majority of the records were sorted by artist which made it easy to browse. I ended up spending a decent amount of time in the store because I kept finding albums that I rarely find anywhere else. Prices are generally in line with what you'd find online, but if you catch one of their sales, you can score some great deals. The cashier was also incredibly friendly. Love my new tote bag!

Massive selection of records/CDs. Prices are very reasonable. Walked out with 2 new albums for $60…read more Close to Powell's books so you can hit both in one afternoon

Awesome selection. Prices are market but they had a lot of hard to find items. Nice to be able to…read moreput your hands on what you are buying.

Great shop, knowledgeable staff, games abound in video, tabletop and collectible card varieties, .read more

Hard to say anything that hasn't been said. This place is way bigger than most libraries and the…read morelargest independent bookstore in US. Maps are key to finding anything, sadly no used board games. The kids section is great for how to draw books, love used books stocked next to new. The catalogue computers (just like a library) were helpful - told you both what section, shelf to find your both, and number of both new and used copies available which is fantastic (just make sure to write down more then section number if that exists, it still took a while to find a specific book - a obtuse and somewhat arbitrary categorization (ie a book we wanted was under mental games) Their summer reading program was amazing for $5 coupon to be used on purchase of anything.

Powell's City of Books is HUGE. I knew it was supposed to be one of the biggest independent…read morebookstores in the world, but I don't think I really understood what that meant until I walked inside. The Burnside location takes up an entire city block and has SO many different sections. There are new and used books, gifts, and basically every genre and random little category you can think of. The different rooms even have their own names, and the whole place feels like a giant book maze. You could easily spend hours just wandering around. I loved browsing through everything. Even when I wasn't looking for anything specific, I kept finding things that caught my attention. The color-coded sections and maps definitely helped because otherwise I probably would have just gotten lost somewhere in the shelves and never been seen again. Definitely one of those Portland places I'd recommend even if you're not a huge book person. It's just really fun to walk around and explore, and I can totally see why Powell's is such an iconic part of Portland.

I ordered a run of 1000 CDs from Cravedog Inc. The first song was fine, but the remaining 10 tracks…read morewere nothing but white noise. Cravedog blamed this on a "corrupt file from our engineer". I had two independent studios check the same file in dropbox and it was fine. I also had a different manufacture use the same file for a short run to hold us over - it checked out fine for them as well. In spite of the fact that I had been a faithful customer and ordered over 4000 CDs from Cravedog in the last 10 years, they refused to make it right. I had to file a credit card dispute and after an investigation was given a full refund. I suggest spending the extra hundred dollars or so and using one of the larger more reputable manufacturers.

Keeping it real and going the distance, that has been the Cravedog way all along. Accommodating a…read morefull range of clientele, I've found them wiling to work as hard on small orders as very large ones.

My partner got a Barnes & Noble gift card for the holidays, so we stopped by here to check it out…read more It's been years since I've been in an actual bookstore (besides Powells) and it was pleasantly nostalgic. Located inside Lloyd Center mall, the store does have its challenges. It seems easy to access from the parking lot, BUT their exterior doors do not open - I think due to issues of theft. They have security, which isn't the most welcoming. But once you're inside, the store is quite large with plenty of genres. Books are more expensive I think they should be (shoutout to libraries), but if you have a gift card or an author you really want to support, I think it can be worth buying. I wish I could say it's a nice place to sit and read or write - unfortunately, I have to give two stars for the cafe. They have Starbucks branding but aren't an actual Starbucks. They cannot accept Starbucks gift cards or rewards program. And the drinks are not quite right - I requested my peppermint mocha be remade but it came out with a chemical flavor both times.

Nice Barnes & Noble inside Lloyd Center! Staff members who I encountered were all friendly. The…read morestore is organized and neat, with an open layout that's nice for browsing. Inside there is also a Starbucks with some seating if you want to work there or enjoy a coffee and/or snack. Glad to see B&N is one of the thriving businesses inside Lloyd Center.

This place is a real gem. Tons of comics- rare, local, indie, classics, the whole works! I love all…read moreof the Showa-era retro paraphernalia they carry too, although I do find those to be a little bit over-priced. That said, I usually come in here to kill time thinking I won't buy anything, but then I find something amazing and can't resist because I know it'd be just about impossible to get anywhere else... Last time I managed to find a volume of エコエコアザラク (Eko Eko Azarak). They also sell some of my favorite art books, like Curses by George Wylesol and Vermis by Plastiboo... If you're interested in manga, it's definitely worth visiting. I've seen them selling works by some of my favorite classic mangaka like Leiji Matsumoto, Shigeru Mizuki, Kazuo Umezu, Junji Ito, etc. and they even have things like GARO magazine back issues lying around.

I think I heard it's in Lloyd center probably year or 2 ago, but last year I take a good look at…read moreit, that is I'm surprised that Kanegon from Ultraman series & when I look around this comic book that it's not comic but there's also some a bunch of retro stuff from Japan & some Ultraman stuffs. And they good amount of price & nice cashiers as well.

When in Portland, aside from visiting the homies at Self Edge, Dark Star Magick is the place I most…read morewish to be! Esoteric items for truth seekers should make this a regular stop! Book selection is top-notch! From recent releases to some extra-special items on the shelves, there is something there for those who seek. I've only ever had great experiences, and the service/suggestions have always been top-notch. I hope that you find what you seek, and be sure to check out their online offerings of events! Not being a local to PDX, their online events have let me enjoy many an enlightening evening. 93 homies!

Whenever I travel, I'm always checking out local bookshops and the spiritual scene. When I randomly…read morediscovered that Portland has an occult bookstore (NOT Spiritual or New Age a la Renaissance bookstore) I was intrigued and made a note to check it out before I left town. I'm not sure anything can ever come close to the epic uniqueness known as Watkins Books in London, but between Dark Star Magick, Renaissance Bookstore and Powell's , Portland comes mighty close. This is an occult bookstore. Meaning, that there really isn't much in the way of crystals, angels and New Age potboilers from the likes of Joe Dispenza or Louise Hay. What you will find however are books and tomes by folks like Aleister Crowley, Julius Evola, Nicholas Flamel and even Anton Levay. There are whole sections on Enochian Magick, Satanism, Choas Magick, Spellcrafting, Demonology, Angelology, Alchemy, and advanced Pagan and Wicca stuff. The burly store owner stands guard in his kilt and keeps a watchful eye over the store. There are a few seats available to sit down and look over the books before deciding which ones to purchase. I even saw some rare first edition grimoires in some glass cases with price tags veering towards 4-digits. I hope they stick around because every city needs a store like Dark Star Magick.