Isaac R.
Yelp
I was staying on the west slope while looking for a permanent place to live. I stopped here a lot, mainly to look for recreational reading. The stock is small but carefully chosen. Not a place that stocks every popular book, but if you wander in and browse with an open mind, you're likely to find something worth reading.
I read in the Oregonian that this store is doing well, despite hard times for everybody, and independent booksellers in particular. I think that's because the people who work here understand that a bookstore needs to provide stuff you can't get from online retailers (which, frankly, is how I get most of my books these days). There's browser-friendly stocking, there's a friendly space for customers, and there's an intelligent staff that enjoys their work. Leave out these things, and why should I bother to leave my house to buy books?
Last time I was there, I bought a book on Quantum Physics. When I paid for it, the guy behind the counter made a joke about the weirdness of the subject. I joked back, the other employees chimed in, and before you know it there was a major science gabfest going. When I left, they were still arguing about whether String Theory made any sense.
Alas, I now live on the east side, and rarely get further west than the Central Library. But hey, next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'll have to drop by and stir them up again...