Vroman’s Bookstore, the independent bookseller on East Colorado Boulevard, holds its weekly children’s storytime on Wednesday morning, July 15, with songs led by Miss Marie followed by a reading with Mr. Steve.
The 11 a.m. program repeats every Wednesday at the store’s Colorado Boulevard location and is, by the store’s own count, one of more than 400 free community events Vroman’s hosts each year — linking a small weekly gathering to a business that has operated in Pasadena since 1894.
The story takes place at Vroman’s, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. According to the store’s event calendar, the session pairs songs with a read-aloud for children, and the same calendar lists additional storytimes with special guests on other dates. The store can be reached at (626) 449-5320.
The gathering is a regular event at a store with a long civic history. Vroman’s was founded in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman, according to the bookstore’s published account of its history. Vroman, born in 1856 in La Salle, Illinois, moved to Pasadena in the late 1800s; when he died in 1916, he left the business to longtime employees. The store describes itself as Southern California’s oldest and largest independent bookstore and says it was, for many years, the largest bookstore west of the Mississippi.
That published history also states that during World War II, Vroman donated and delivered books to Japanese Americans held at nearby internment camps. In 2009, the company says, it purchased Book Soup, an independent bookstore in West Hollywood. Vroman’s also operates two boutiques at Los Angeles International Airport and an online store, and says its Vroman’s Gives Back program has donated more than $867,000 to local nonprofits on behalf of customers.
Beyond children’s programming, the store says it hosts craft classes, launch parties and author signings. Its account of its history lists past guests ranging from Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler and Joan Didion to contemporary authors such as Khaled Hosseini. Vroman’s also maintains a “Walk of Fame” near Colorado Boulevard recognizing Southern California writers, among them Lisa See, Michael Connelly, Walter Mosley and Leigh Bardugo.
The store’s ownership is currently in transition. Its longtime owners, the Sheldon family, are seeking a buyer for the business, according to Vroman’s, which says it hopes a new owner will carry on its founder’s values and its role in Pasadena.
For now, the children’s storytime continues on its weekly schedule. It is set to return the following Wednesday at 11 a.m., and the store’s calendar carries dates for other storytimes with guests through the season.
