In mid-January, Vroman’s and Book Soup posted to their Instagram pages that the bookstores are for sale. Vroman’s, the Southland’s oldest independent bookstore, opened in 1894 in Pasadena and bought West Hollywood’s Book Soup in 2009 after the owner, Glenn Goldman, died of pancreatic cancer. Now, Vroman’s owner, Joel Sheldon, has announced his retirement.

These announcements come after Diesel, A Bookstore, in Brentwood, announced it was for sale last year.

Originally, Vroman’s opened as Vroman’s Book and Photographic Supply store at 60 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, by Adam Clark Vroman, who loved books and was a passionate photographer, specializing in scenes of the American West and portraits of Native Americans. To afford to open his store, Vroman raised the capital by selling his beloved book collection. Upon his death in 1916, he left the bookstore to long-time employees, including the great-grandfather of current owner, Jole Sheldon. Today, Vroman’s is still located on Colorado Boulevard, but now at 695 East Colorado Boulevard.

Book Soup on the other hand, opened in 1975 in West Hollywood, on the Sunset Strip between a strip joint and a head shop. The owners were UCLA students—arts management major Glenn Goldman and architecture student, David Mackler. Essayist and Journalist Lynelle George described the eclectic store as having, “tall, teetering stacks and [an] Escher-like maze of books,” mirroring the quirky and eclectic neighborhood it grew out of. Located in and around Hollywood, it has served readers, writers, artists, musicians and celebrities since it open, earning the label, “Bookseller to the Great and Infamous.”

Below is Jole Sheldon’s letter.

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To our Vroman’s Customers and Community:

I want to thank our great Vroman’s customers for all of the support that you have shown us throughout the years and especially during our busy holiday season. It’s always heartening to see our stores filled with customers who love Vroman’s—Many of whom have been shopping in our store for generations.

My family has been the steward of Vroman’s for over 100 years of its 130-year history. For almost 50 years, I have had the privilege of serving as Vroman’s owner and steward, preceded by generations of leadership by my father, grandfather, and uncles. As I approach my 80^th birthday, it’s time to begin the process of retiring and finding new ownership outside of the Sheldon family. Vroman’s deserves new ownership with the vision, energy, and commitment necessary to take it successfully into the future.

I wanted to share this news with you, our valued customers, as we shepherd Vroman’s journey into the future. This was not an easy decision for me, but it is in the best interest of Vroman’s, our employees, our customers, my family, and our community.

My family has poured our hearts and lives into Vroman’s, and we want to see it continue for years to come. We will take the time needed to find the right new ownership—someone who shares our core values and who is committed to preserving Vroman’s as a community treasure. Our goal is to maintain business as usual and do our best to avoid any kind of disruption to our customers and employees.

In the meantime, we need your continued support. We made it through the height of the pandemic thanks to your commitment to shop Vroman’s and preserve it as a community treasure. We need your continued support to help us to successfully transition to new ownership and ensure our future.

I’d also like to thank our many employees, both current and past. We’ve been very fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated group over the many years who have helped make Vroman’s the special place it is.

While our ownership change will be a time of some uncertainty, it is also a time for optimism and excitement for what the future can bring for Vroman’s and our community. There is a myriad of possibilities, and we look forward to them all.

If you are interested in taking Vroman’s into the future, please email: thefuture@vromansbookstore.com for more information.

With deep gratitude,

Jole Sheldon