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| Books Kinokuniya's store in Seattle, Wash. | |
Books Kinokuniya will open its 13th U.S. location this summer, in downtown Portland, Ore., at 829 SW 9th Ave. The new store is in "a historic cinema building called the Guild Theatre which after almost 80 years in use closed in 2006," the company said. "Kinokuniya is working diligently to renovate it, and we have striven to insure that the exterior of the building will maintain its elegant appearance."
Last December, Kinokuniya's chairman and president Masashi Takai announced the company planned to launch a Portland store, and as a preview opened a pop-up shop at the nearby Cleaners at Ace Hotel during Christmas week 2019.
Although Kinokuniya already has a small location in nearby Beaverton, the Portland store will feature a wider inventory, stocking "carefully selected books, unique merchandise and Japanese stationery, with a focus on art and comics from Japan," the company said.
The location will also have a cafe "run by Portlander Tomoe Horibushi, owner of the much loved Behind the Museum Café, which specializes in matcha drinks and desserts," Willamette Week wrote. Horibushi's two cafes "will be just blocks from one another, but her new location will diverge from Behind the Museum's traditionalism. Horibushi has obtained a liquor license for the space, and hopes to host events and have a takeout menu." Kinokuniya interviewed Horibushi about Book of Tea Café and LRS Architects about the design challenges presented by the renovation.