Pasadena's Vroman's and West Hollywood's Book Soup, two stalwart independent bookstores, announced new ownership on Thursday. The change comes after a two-year search for a buyer by longtime owner Joel Sheldon, who is retiring in 2024.
Sheldon's family has overseen Vroman's for more than a century. He had sought new ownership that shared the store's core values and was committed to "preserving Vroman’s as a community treasure." Sheldon stated that he found such a steward in Robert Hoffman and his family, saying, "I knew we had found the right stewards."
Hoffman, born in Pasadena, grew up in Southern California and his family has lived in the area for generations. He attended UCLA and has spent decades working on tech regulation and public policy in Washington, D.C. Currently, Hoffman heads government relations and regulatory affairs at semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices.
Hoffman's connection to Vroman's runs deep; he has been visiting the Pasadena store since his mother first brought him at age 5. His mother, in turn, was introduced to Vroman's by her grandmother, Georgia Bullock, who was a longtime Pasadena resident and the first woman to serve as a municipal and superior court judge in California.
Book Soup, a landmark on Sunset Boulevard, was founded in 1975 by UCLA graduate student Glenn Goldman. Goldman raised investments with friends to establish the store and operated it until his death in 2009 at age 58. Joel Sheldon acquired Book Soup from Goldman's estate that same year. An Instagram post from Book Soup's page affirmed the continuity under the new ownership, stating Hoffman and his family are "genuinely invested in this community" and that readers could expect "Same shelves, same staff, same WeHo icon."
Vroman's itself has a long and storied history, beginning in 1894 when Adam Clark Vroman, an ex-railroad worker from Illinois, founded it. Vroman had moved to California hoping the sunny weather would improve his wife’s health, but she ultimately died of tuberculosis. A bibliophile, Vroman sold a portion of his extensive book collection to fund the store. The Sheldon family began stewarding Vroman's after Adam Clark Vroman's death in 1916.
Throughout its history, Vroman's has catered to a diverse clientele, including traveling dignitaries, academics, and leisure readers. During the 1940s, an activist transported books from Vroman's to the Manzanar camp in the Owens Valley for Japanese Americans incarcerated from the San Gabriel Valley and other areas. Science fiction author Octavia Butler, who grew up nearby, was also a frequent visitor to the bookstore.
In recent years, Vroman's has seen some changes. Its second location in Hastings Ranch closed in 2024 due to an inability to reach a new lease agreement with the property owner and "increasing occupancy expenses." However, the flagship Vroman's location on Colorado Boulevard remains open. The property itself was sold last year to GD Realty Group for $15.5 million, but the bookstore maintains a long-term lease with the real estate group. Arash Danialifar, CEO of GD Realty Group, previously referred to Vroman's as a "staple of the community" and expressed hope for its continued presence.
