Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.
Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.
This week we have Patrick Leonard, owner of Postcard Bookshop in Portland, Oregon.
What’s your store’s story?
Postcard Bookshop is a travel bookstore in Portland, Oregon, with books for all of the many ways that people explore the world. Inspired by our tiny namesake, we pack a lot of stories into our little space – just 300 square feet! Whether you’re a jet-setter, a road-tripper or an armchair traveler, our store is here to help you visit new places with books.
What makes your independent bookstore unique?
Instead of arranging our collection by genre, we’ve shelved everything by geography. For each country, we offer guidebooks and language guides, as well as novels, poetry, cookbooks and nonfiction from and about that place. Reading has always played a big role in how I see the world; novels have inspired my trips and there are many places I’ll probably only ever experience in the pages of a great story. I want to share that curiosity for the world with other readers. When customers are planning a trip, they can pick up a travel guide, but also a novel to read on the airplane or a cookbook to extend that vacation feeling after they return.
What’s your favorite section in your store?
Under our handmade, three-foot piñata of the earth, we have a table that introduces readers to different themes in world literature. In October, I highlighted international horror authors, and then in February, I had a selection of classic love stories from other countries next to modern romance novels with globe-trotting storylines. Right now, I’m featuring translated science fiction alongside books about space and night sky tourism, taking the whole travel theme to other worlds.
What book do you love to recommend to customers and why?
Not a week goes by without me handing someone a book by Peter Hessler. In his latest, “Other Rivers,” he uses his family’s experience in the Chinese education system during the pandemic to explore the social and political changes in China over the last two decades. As tensions rise between the U.S. and China, Hessler’s books feel like they offer a very human window into a large and complicated country. Writing as a “foreigner abroad” has its limits, but I really think Hessler is a great model for how to write with respect and humanity about the places and people we visit.
What book do you think deserves more attention and why?
I love books that have me looking up airfares before I’ve finished the last page. Reading “Water, Wood, and Wild Things” by Hannah Kirshner made me want to immediately visit the Japanese hot spring village of Yamanaka Onsen. Her memoir is a loving ode to the culture embodied by artisans working to preserve their traditional crafts. There is an undeniable romance to the idea of starting a new life abroad, but Kirshner’s book delves deeper into the life of the community that exists beyond the daydreams we have as tourists.
What books/series are you most excited about coming out in the next few months and why?
I’m particularly looking forward to Robert MacFarlane’s “Is a River Alive?” out on May 20. He writes beautifully about how landscapes have influenced people, and how we, in turn, have changed nature. His forthcoming book ventures to Ecuadorian cloud forests, the deltas of Southeastern India and the forests of eastern Quebec to explore the critical fight worldwide to protect our waterways. It blends ambitious travel writing, poetic natural history, and an impassioned plea for ecological justice.
Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important?
Independent, specialty bookstores stake out a real alternative to online retailers that try to offer everything for everyone. When you visit a romance-focused store, or a science-fiction shop, or a children’s bookstore, you’ll find a community of readers brimming with expertise and excitement to share about a very specific genre. We put so much care into what we carry, and readers can trust that our recommendations are driven by genuine enthusiasm and interest, rather than algorithms.
What are some of your store’s events, programs, or partnerships coming up that you would like to share?
This spring, we’ll launch a “World Traveler” book club that features a different country each month, with passports for participants to track their reading. We’re also fortunate to be located inside Portland’s incredible CARGO Emporium, a collective of local and global artists, makers, and retailers. The store hosts a full calendar of craft workshops and art openings and big neighborhood events like our annual community altar for Dia de los Muertos. There is always something happening in the store!
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Find a book for your next vacation at Postcard Bookshop in Oregon
