By Erik Pedersen
FROM: The Daily News

At Vroman’s bookstore, you can buy a book, attend storytime, meet an author or—on at least one special occasion—eat a piece of anniversary cake.

The Pasadena landmark, which calls itself “Southern California’s oldest and largest independent bookstore,” is celebrating its 125th anniversary this month, which accounts for the cake on a recent Saturday. To mark the milestone, the establishment, which first opened in 1894, is dropping the word “bookstore” from its name. So going forward the, uh, store that sells books—as well as has a coffeehouse, a stationery store, community gathering spaces, and a soon-to-open wine bar—will just be known as Vroman’s.

And that’s just fine with the store’s president and CEO Allison K. Hill.

“When I think about Mr. Vroman’s original store, he had books, he had stationery, he had Kodak photographic supplies, so from the very beginning he wasn’t ‘just a bookstore,’” said Hill, who—full disclosure—wrote a books column for the Southern California News Group. “I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t think about the history of the store, because I can’t help but be incredulous about an individual having a really simple dream at the time, right? 1894. ‘I want to open a little bookstore’ and then to imagine that little bookstore growing into what Vroman’s is today and what it represents to people. It’s very moving to me — and kind of amazing.” Read Rest of Article Here