Powell's

The expansion will connect Powell's general-interest bookstore to its Home and Garden store, bringing the new store to 23,000 square feet.

(Oregonian file photo)

Powell's Books on Hawthorne Boulevard is about to get a lot bigger.

The Portland bookstore, which now occupies two spaces on the trendy Southeast Portland street, will expand into the space between the stores, currently occupied by gourmet market Pastaworks, which subleases a space to sushi restaurant Nodoguro.

The expansion will connect Powell's general-interest bookstore to its Home and Garden store, bringing the new store to 23,000-plus square feet. (That's about a third of the size of Powell's City of Books on Burnside, which clocks in at 68,000 square feet, or more than 1.5 acres.)

In a statement released Thursday, Powell's said it will integrate the three spaces to feel more like one store. The expanded store will offer a larger children's section and author events area. Powell's hopes to complete the expansion by October. Both stores will remain open during the renovation.

Powell's spokeswoman Kim Sutton said the book seller hadn't planned to take over more of the block.

"I don't think we ever imagined the opportunity to bring everything together," she said. "That was never a consideration until this opportunity came up."

Pastaworks will stay open through Saturday, and plans to reopen in late January in Northeast Portland's upcoming Providore Fine Foods market. Nodoguro's last night at the location is Thursday, and the popular sushi spot plans to open next-door to Pastaworks by early February.

Kaie Wellman, who co-owns Pastaworks with husband Kevin de Garmo, said the market chose to move because its lease was up. Though the European market will be missed, Wellman said the addition of the larger Powell's will soften the blow.

"We're thrilled that they're moving in," she said.

Miriam Sontz, right, replaced Emily Powell as chief executive officer of Powell's Books in 2013. Powell, the third-generation owner of the Portland company, will focus on its long-term strategy.

Powell's chief executive Miriam Sontz said the retailer is always looking for opportunities in the marketplace, especially if it means improving a current neighborhood bookstore.

The company, in its 46th year of operation, also runs two other area stores: one in Beaverton and one inside Portland International Airport.

Meanwhile, Powell's seems to be putting less emphasis on its specialty stores.

Its technical book store moved across from the Burnside store in 2010, and that location closed in 2014. Powell's technical books are now located in the Burnside store. Now, the future of the Home and Garden store as a separate entity is unclear.

"More and more people have broader interests, broader desires," Sontz said. "Our competency as a company is expansive and pretty all-inclusive. While we've had successful specialty stores, the ability to keep that going alongside the general interest stores was a challenge for this company."

While the privately held company does not disclose sales numbers, Sontz said Powell's had a "very successful holiday season."

The trick to the bookstore's enduring success? Constant re-evaluation, Sontz said. For instance, Powell's sold books online before Amazon.

"They've kind of outpaced us," she admitted. "But we were on the cutting edge of technology. We are never satisfied with the end product."

For Sontz, only one thing would come close to perfection: Every person who walks in leaves with a book.

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarum