Powell's could become a national powerhouse while staying at home. At any given time, the line of people entering the store to sell books can be as long as those waiting 40 feet away in the checkout line to purchase them. Increasingly, the store acquires complete collections, including the entirety of other bookstores. When a Cleveland store went out of business, Powell's shipped back seven 40- foot containers. So book are stacking up.
Shelves are full.
Room for customers to sit and read is disappearing. The warehouse gets backlogged. There is just the stubbly silhouette of a beard, graying, on Michael Powell's face. He is balding, not particularly tall and wears the latest wire-rimmed glasses. He has the countenance of a teacher and seems to be one of the few people at Powell's who cares to wear something besides a T-shirt to work.