Vroman's Bookstore
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Pasadena (November 14, 1894) |
| Founder | A.C. Vroman |
| Headquarters | Pasadena, California |
| Products | books |
| Website | www.vromansbookstore.com |
Vroman's Bookstore is the oldest and largest independent bookstore in Southern California.[1]
Founding and early history
Founded in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman, the original Vroman’s Book and Photographic Supply store was located at 60 E. Colorado St in Pasadena, California. A.C. Vroman was an avid photographer of the Southwest and Native American culture, and his interest in photographic equipment started a long-standing tradition of carrying non-book items in his bookstores.
Upon Vroman’s death in 1916, the store became a corporation, holding its first annual meeting on January 9, 1917 with George Howell as president elect, Allan David Sheldon as Vice President, and Alice Dilworth as Secretary-Treasurer. (Vroman’s relationship with the Sheldon family dates to the 1870s, when both families lived in Oregon, Illinois.) Due to philosophic differences with members of the board, George Howell resigned as president in 1920 and was succeeded by A.D. Sheldon. From then until last July, when Allison Hill became president, with the exception of one five-year period, a member of the Sheldon family has served as president of A.C. Vroman, Inc.
Success and expansion
In 1929, Vroman's signed a 49-year lease on property at 695 E. Colorado, moving the wholesale department out of the bookshop's crowded basement and into the leased building at its new location. By 1930, Vroman's had a mailing list of 3,000 names, classified by readers' interests. The 1930s marked a period of expansion for the Vroman’s corporation. In the space of seven years it opened a San Diego branch, moved the Pasadena retail store to larger quarters, started an office furniture department, and launched a popular series of book and author luncheons (1939). Its first program was held in February 1939 at which about 150 women (and a few men) gathered at the Pasadena Athletic Club to hear Lloyd C. Douglas speak. Subsequent luncheons included authors like James Hilton, Irving Stone, and Upton Sinclair. No book and author programs were held during World War II, but they resumed in 1949 and continue to this day.
1944 marked Vroman’s 50th anniversary, and in 1945, with the purchase of a textbook distribution company, Vroman's became the largest book dealer west of the Mississippi. As the 1950s ended, Vroman's was operating in nine different communities, with retail stores in Pasadena and San Diego, warehouses in Pasadena & San Francisco, and department store concessions in Ogden, Spokane, and the Los Angeles area. Vroman's had become a major corporate business, employing 129 people a year and grossing more than $13.5 million annually. Vroman's was also a noted pioneer among bookstores in its use of data processing equipment. By 1962, the School Book Depository was fully computerized, and by 1968 so was the Pasadena retail store, one of the earliest examples of such technological implementation.
Recent history
Vroman's has had stores in the Arcadia mall, as well as a museum shop on Lake Avenue in Pasadena. In 2009, Vroman’s bought another well known independent bookstore, Book Soup in West Hollywood, after its owner died and the store was in danger of closing. Today it consists of three bookstore locations, including one in the Hastings Ranch area of Pasadena.
Vroman's has hosted many author readings, including celebrities like Goldie Hawn, Margaret Cho, Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter, Courtney Love, Salman Rushdie, Anne Rice, Joan Didion, Nick Hornby, Bret Easton Ellis, Neil Gaiman, David Sedaris, Chuck Palahniuk, and President Bill Clinton.
In addition to author events, Vroman's also holds workshops with professional writers and craftspeople known as Vroman's Ed.
In 2008, Vroman's was named Bookseller of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the international news magazine of book publishing.[2][3]
External links
References
- ↑ McManis, Sam (April 27, 2014) "The new Old Pasadena may just bowl you over" The Sacramento Bee
- ↑ Vroman’s Wins 'PW’s' Bookseller of the Year - 3/11/2008 9:00:00 AM - Publishers Weekly
- ↑ Apostol, Jane. Vroman's of Pasadena (A.C. Vroman, 1994).
Coordinates: 34°08′46″N 118°08′10″W / 34.1461°N 118.1361°W