Portland indie bookstore Powell’s has done a great job of using the media to tell its story, highlighting its own unique situation, but also helping readers understand some of the larger trends affecting independent online bookselling.
Today’s Los Angeles Times is running a story about the state of Michael Powell’s handover of the store to daughter Emily Powell, linking it to issues around succession in family business, and the the challenges of independent online bookselling:
“But Powell, the man closest to the action, is not celebrating. He listed some of the things that have made the store noteworthy and successful — the mix of new and used, the early Web presence, the symbiotic relationship with the city of Portland, with which he remains very involved — and concluded: ‘That has carried us well to the moment. The moment is full of trepidation and uncertainty.’”
[Now Reading: India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy by Ramachandra Guha]
Posted by Anirvan
