Vroman's Bookstore
Encyclopedia
Vroman's Bookstore is the oldest and largest independent bookstore
in Southern 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.
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.
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.
Independent bookstore
An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
in Southern California.
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, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. 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. DouglasLloyd C. Douglas
Lloyd Cassel Douglas born Doya C. Douglas, was an American minister and author.He was born in Columbia City, Indiana, spent part of his boyhood in Monroeville, Indiana, Wilmot, Indiana and Florence, Kentucky, where his father, Alexander Jackson Douglas, was pastor of the Hopeful Lutheran Church...
speak. Subsequent luncheons included authors like James Hilton
James Hilton
James Hilton was an English novelist who wrote several best-sellers, including Lost Horizon and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.-Biography:...
, Irving Stone
Irving Stone
Irving Stone was an American writer known for his biographical novels of famous historical personalities, including Lust for Life, a biographical novel about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy, a biographical novel about Michelangelo.-Biography:In...
, and Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
. No book and author programs were held during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 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. Today it consists of two bookstore locations, including one in the Hastings Ranch area of Pasadena, as well as a stationery store two doors down from the main store.Vroman's has hosted many author readings, including celebrities like Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
, Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
, Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
, Salman Rushdie, Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
, Joan Didion
Joan Didion
Joan Didion is an American author best known for her novels and her literary journalism. Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation...
, Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
, Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...
, Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, David Sedaris
David Sedaris
David Sedaris is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist, writer, comedian, bestselling author, and radio contributor....
, Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk
Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
, and President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
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
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, the international news magazine of book publishing.