Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon is one of the most wonderful places in the world. In the Seattle Times profile of Emily Powell, heir to the family store, you find such historical tidbits such as the fact that the building was formerly a car dealership, a customer’s remains are inside a statue near an entryway, and the workers are unionized. Emily is an only child and owner Michael Powell didn’t have a “Plan B” if she had decided not to go into the family business. Luckily we will be spared that scenario, for this generation anyway.