We spent our last morning in Portland wandering around the “largest independent new and used book store in the world,” Powell’s. I’ve been before, but it never ceases to amaze me. Three rambling floors of books covering an entire city block. Probably my favorite thing about the store, besides the ability to browse shelves upon shelves of books on even the most obscure topics, is the unorthodox practice Powell’s is famous for: shelving new and used books side-by-side. It’s so brilliant (and they’ve been doing it this way since 1979).

But what I was thinking about after this book-lovers orgy (while eating brunch at the very delicious Genie’s) is how Powell’s is such an anomaly in the word of on-line versus off-line retailers and independents versus big chains. Powell’s has a very successful dot com (started before Amazon, incidentally) but I want to set that aside for a moment and just look at the Burnside Street store. We’ve been conditioned to go on line if we want inventory and selection, and go to a real-life store if we want an “experience” within a community. Powell’s manages to do both at once (and I’m still trying to get my head around how the Long Tail theory fits into all of this). It’s so successful, even amidst the chains, because of its huge selection, knowledgeable and friendly staffers ready to share everything they know, and plenty of in-store events that make you feel a part of a crazy-book-lovin’ community. You leave with your books, and a story to tell–an experience.

Are there any parallels in the world of film and DVDs? A way to get the films you really want–to not be limited–yet to have an experience within a community? What’s the ideal model for theaters or DVD rental stores? Can an “experience” be created for on line consumers? (Obviously Spout thinks so…)