Floating World Comics, one of Portland’s most celebrated independent comic shops, is leaving Lloyd Center for good and heading back to where it all started — downtown Portland. Owner Jason Leivian confirmed the shop will reopen at Pioneer Place Mall, 340 SW Morrison Street, Suite 1300 on August 12, settling into the basement concourse level next to Din Tai Fung, right on the MAX line. The last day at Lloyd Center will be Saturday, August 8.
Founded in 2006 and now one of the most respected comic shops in the country, Floating World specializes in alternative, independent, and underground comics alongside mainstream titles, graphic novels, art books, and design magazines from around the world. It also operates as a publisher, with titles distributed through Diamond Comic Distributors and Consortium Book Sales.
For Leivian, the move carries real meaning. Floating World got its start downtown back in 2006, before eventually landing at Lloyd Center. Coming back to the city center feels like a homecoming, and he’s not coming alone.
“It’s exciting to move back downtown,” Leivian wrote in an announcement to customers. “Where it all started.”
He’s also bringing Gravy Toys, Floating World’s toy offshoot, and the Pioneer Place transition is part of a broader vision Leivian has been quietly building. A year ago, he began approaching the mall with a concept: bring over independent businesses from Lloyd Center and create a community-driven “indie mall” that breathes new life into Pioneer Place the same way small businesses once energized Lloyd.
