A bookstore called Kid Hermes the Trickster opened just over a month ago near the park blocks in downtown Portland. The store is just over 800 square feet, and two stories tall — packed with roughly 1,700 books, many of which are from Lowell’s personal library.

The collection spans science fiction to poetry to Lowell’s extensive collection of photo books, and many titles are rare, signed or first edition. A few shelves, on the second floor, are marked “Colleen’s,” featuring books personally recommended by Lowell’s wife.

Lowell got the idea to open a book shop just 8 months ago. One of the reasons 70-year-old Lowell cites for opening the shop: He didn’t want his kids to have to take on his extensive book collection after he passed.

He also missed the craft of bookselling — he spent his 20s selling at rare bookshops in San Francisco, and after his retirement from a 40-year career in advertising, he’s making a return to that first love.

“You know, retirement’s wonderful, but at the same time, I found myself missing a certain kind of mission and purpose and engagement with the public,” said Lowell. His craving for this kind of engagement is palpable in his interaction with customers. In fact, you won’t find any option for online sale on the store’s website.

“Online is just a meaningless prompt from your email that you’ve got to mail a book now. There’s no give and take. There’s no social engagement,” said Lowell. He’s often working the checkout counter, where he meticulously wraps each new book up in brown paper, and enjoys talking with customers.

“Part of the reason you love books is because you also love talking about books,” said Lowell. “And talking with people about the books and making recommendations and seeing the people who take a book and knowing where it’s going, that matters.”

He’s particularly interested in connecting with Gen Z customers because he believes the generation is tired of the abundance of short-form media — that they crave in-person interactions with people and access to physical media.

“Gen Z is the first generation born digital natives,” said Lowell. “And in a sense that was fate handing them something. And what every generation has always done, it strikes me, is look around and say, but what else is there that we don’t have that we might want from other generations?”

“Well, I think Gen Z is looking around going, you know what? Books, books, books: They’re an escape from the screen. They’re saying, there’s something about how I feel when I touch a book, when I hold it, when I look at it. They’re saying ‘we need to own this for ourselves, even though we are the digital natives.’”

He hopes the space will become a collaborative entity for artists, photographers and book-lovers in downtown Portland. He plans on hosting art exhibitions in the space, featuring local and international artists. When asked what surprised him the most about opening the store, he said the reaction has been remarkable.

“How many people have come out of the woodwork, how many people have loved the space, this little space, how many people have said this is what Portland needs,” said Lowell. “I’m just really, really happy, and humbled that it’s working.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/29/doug-lowell-kid-hermes-the-trickster/