The last of its kind, Vroman's Bookstore and Book Soup are going up for sale after serving the SoCal community for 130 years.
The bookstores are widely recognized for bringing in world-class authors for talks and autographs. It is the oldest and largest independent bookstore in SoCal. Vroman's and Book Soup have shown resilience, surviving a pandemic and navigating through an ever-changing retail landscape that closed the chapter of dozens of independent booksellers.
Joel Sheldon said he's ready for a new adventure after owning the brick-and-mortar bookstores for over five decades.
The owner said he's looking carefully at all buyers, making sure their passion for the place is the same as his. "We hope the only changes are positive changes with enthusiasm and maybe some new ideas," said Sheldon.
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Customers were also assured that they would not see a difference for the time being. "Hours are the same, everything's the same. We're not changing a thing at the moment," said Sheldon.
That news comes as a relief to loyal fans like Rhonda Williams, who said her memories date back to her childhood, picking up newspapers for her grandparents and trotting upstairs to 'will-call' for her mom.
"I thought that was the greatest thing, for a nine-year-old to go and buy a book for their parents," said Williams.
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Those memories are what Sheldon says he wouldn't change for the world.
"The whole idea of this is to continue the legacy of Vroman's in the Southern California community," said Sheldon.
Vroman's bookstore was opened in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman who moved to Pasadena from the state of Illinois in hopes that the weather would improve his wife's health.
When Vroman passed away in 1916 he left the bookstore to longtime employees, one of which was Sheldon's great-grandfather.
