Two Independents Recognized by Prestigious "Best of" Lists

This past December provided two independent booksellers with a holiday bonus: Internet Retailer named Portland, Oregon's Powell's Books among the 50 best retailers online, and Forbes.com named Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the Top Bookshop in its list of the "World's Top Shops 2005."

Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts

For Harvard Book Store, the Forbes.com pick, published on December 15, was one of the highlights of a year in which the store received a number of accolades, said Amanda Darling, the store's marketing manager. In the Forbes.com's "World's Top Shops 2005," Harvard was listed along with retailing luminaries like the Waterford Crystal Visitor Center in Kilbarry, Ireland; Harrods department store in London; and Hermes in Paris, France.

In naming Harvard Book Store as one of its top shops of 2005, Forbes.com reporter Sophia Banay wrote: "The gracious, two-story bookstore claims a one-on-one relationship with its many customers throughout the community, thanks to personal service and a super-efficient ordering process. And the bookstore's Author Event Series spotlights household literary names, as well as up and coming stars, at reading and signing events all year."

Hearing that Harvard Book Store was tabbed for the Forbes.com list was "very exciting," Darling said, but added: "I didn't realize how prestigious the award is -- I didn't expect to receive the same award as Harrods. It's been a great year in terms of recognition for the bookstore." Prior to being named to the Forbes.com list, the store was named the Boston Phoenix Best Bookstore for New Books 2005; Boston Phoenix Best Place to Hear Readings 2005; Weekly Dig, Best Bookstore for New Books 2005; and Improper Bostonian, Best Local Bookstore 2005.

Powells.com in Portland, Oregon

As BTW reported in December, Internet Retailer magazine named Powell's Books as one of the 50 best retailers online. "It was great," said David Weich, Powell's director of marketing and development. "We enjoy the positive feedback we get from customers, but it's also rewarding to get that feedback from industry insiders."

IR's annual "Best of the Web" report noted, "Powells.com presents a wealth of material designed to bring customers back to the site" and pointed to the site's in-depth author interviews, original essays, daily book reviews, and 12-minute podcasts. Powells.com now draws 70,000 unique visitors to the site each day.

Though Powell's does not operate physical stores beyond the greater Portland market, more than 90 percent of its online orders ship to customers outside the state. IR wrote that Powell's excels alongside billion-dollar competitors thanks to its clear mission. "No one will ever confuse Powells.com with Amazon.com or other sites that peddle books alongside clothing, electronics, toys, and other merchandise," the magazine's editors explain. "From the personal recommendations of staff members to the ongoing tales of Fup the store cat, Powells.com has the feel of a neighborhood bookstore staffed by avid readers." --David Grogan