We mean this in the best of ways: The Portland area is lousy with bookstores. It’s well known that we’re a booklover’s paradise, home to some of the best bookstores in the country. Many of them are located near TriMet bus and MAX lines, making it easy to get to your destination. Here’s a list of seven excellent bookstores you can visit by TriMet, making your trip the eco-friendly, cost-effective and stress-free way to get there. Let’s go!

Clackamas County

Spoke & Word Books

Spoke & Word Books is located in the heart of Downtown Milwaukie and has everything you’d want in a bookstore: It’s cute, cozy and colorful, with all kinds of books. They value community, solidarity and diversity, and they host book release parties, too, which we love. And, with more than a half dozen nearby bus lines, plus MAX Orange Line about three blocks away, there are multiple options for getting there.

📍 10863 SE Main St., Milwaukie

🚌 29-Lake/Webster Rd.
🚌 32-Oatfield
🚌 33-McLoughlin/King Rd
🚌 34-Linwood/River Rd
🚌 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave
🚌 75-Cesar Chavez/Lombard
🚌 152-Milwaukie
🚈 MAX Orange Line
📱 Plan your trip

Laurie’s Books

Take 32-Oatfield to the Southridge Shopping Center, in Oregon City, and you’ll find Laurie’s Books. They buy and sell books, host book signing events and have some great bargains on used books, too. Their fans praise their wide selection of genres. And if you can’t find a newly-released book in the store, Laurie’s will order it for you.

📍 1678 Beavercreek Rd., Suite T, Oregon City

🚌 32-Oatfield
📱 Plan your trip

Multnomah County

Broadway Books

Broadway Books is where service, selection and atmosphere come together. They’ve earned praise for their helpful staff and have been selling (mostly new) books in NE Portland since 1992. They also sell calendars, games, puzzles and more, so there’s something there for the “I don’t like books” folks in your life. There are lots of nearby transit options, with stops for multiple bus lines just two blocks away.

📍 1714 NE Broadway St., Portland

🚌 8-Jackson Park/NE 15th
🚌 17-Holgate/Broadway
🚌 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave
🚌 77-Broadway/Halsey
🚈 MAX Blue and Red Lines approximately .6 mile
📱 Plan your trip

Maggie Mae’s Bookshop

With books for adults, teens and middle grades, picture books and titles for young readers, Maggie Mae’s in Gresham has something for every reader. Check out the calendar events on their website, where you can get the scoop on book clubs, “books & brushes” nights and book bingo, where “numbers are titles of books, characters, and authors.” (Author’s note: We can’t love this idea enough.)

📍 50 NW 1st St., Gresham

🚌 9-Powell Blvd
🚈 MAX Blue Line, FX2-Division and six bus lines approximately .6 mile at Gresham Central Transit Center
📱 Plan your trip

Powell’s City of Books

What else can be said about the largest independent bookstore in the world that takes up a city block? If you’re visiting Portland, you’ve probably been told to visit Powell’s, and you should. Get lost for an afternoon among the seemingly endless shelves of books and other keepsakes. Trying to find parking in this area is silly, so take Line 20 (which stops directly in front of the store, on Burnside) or other transit options to get there.

📍 1005 W Burnside St., Portland

🚌 15-Belmont/NW 23rd
🚌 20-Burnside/Stark
🚌 77-Broadway/Halsey
🚈 Portland Streetcar: A Loop, B Loop
📱 Plan your trip

Washington County

Arcade Book Exchange

“Hidden gem” and “cute” are frequently used to describe Arcade Book Exchange, in Hillsboro, where you can buy, sell and trade books. They stock fiction and nonfiction books in many genres and get praise for the kindness of their helpful staff. We hear they have a very cute shop pup, too. They’re also right around the corner from the Hillsboro Central/SE 3rd Transit Center, with connections to bus, MAX, Yamhill County Transit and west Link.

📍 136 SE 3rd Ave., Ste. 300, Hillsboro

🚌 46-North Hillsboro
🚌 47-Main/Evergreen
🚌 48-Cornell
🚈 MAX Blue Line
📱 Plan your trip

Annie Bloom’s Books

Annie Bloom’s Books is nestled in SW Portland’s Multnomah Village. They’ve been a neighborhood staple since 1978 and offer an impressive selection of new books, plus staff picks and multiple monthly readings (check the calendar on their website for details). The vibe is comfortable, organized and welcoming. And we like that, a lot.

📍 7834 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland

🚌 44-Capitol Hwy/Mocks Crest
🚌 45-Garden Home
📱 Plan your trip

Explore more, stress less
TriMet makes it easy to plan your next outing to explore our area’s bookstores. Ditch the hassle of parking and spend your time enjoying the ride. Riding TriMet also means less carbon emissions, so it’s good for the environment.