Powell’s Books fans mostly have had to make do with browsing the iconic local bookseller’s website over the past six months. The store’s brick-and-mortar locations mostly have remained shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One solution for those missing the calming thrill of wandering endless bookstore aisles: Powell’s new unisex fragrance.
“Like the crimson rhododendrons in ‘Rebecca,’ the heady fragrance of old paper creates an atmosphere ripe with mood and possibility,” offers the cheeky product description. “Invoking a labyrinth of books; secret libraries; ancient scrolls; and cognac swilled by philosopher-kings, Powell’s by Powell’s delivers the wearer to a place of wonder, discovery and magic heretofore only known in literature.”
This mood and possibility is available for preorder for $24.99 on Powell’s website. The one-ounce, limited-edition item will be available for shipping in late November.
Powell’s came up with the idea for Powell’s by Powell’s after an online survey revealed that the bookseller’s customers missed the unique smell of the bookstore, Fox 12 reported Wednesday. Powell’s, founded in 1971, pioneered combining used and new books on shelves.
With its on-site business still restricted due to the deadly pandemic, Powell’s Books is struggling to figure out how to stay alive.
“We have not found our way out of the woods yet,” owner and president Emily Powell said last month. “I don’t know when we’re coming out of it. I don’t exactly know how. We’re going to feel our way through the trees and find our way out.”
Powell’s named a new CEO, Patrick Bassett, at the end of September in an attempt to ramp up online sales and seek new revenue opportunities.
-- Douglas Perry