130-Year-Old California Bookstore Seeks

Buyer

Vroman’s is a community landmark in Pasadena, Calif. Now, its longtime

owner says he’s ready to turn over the reins.

Dawn Levesque, 77, goes to learn about World War II. Heidi Barnett, 43,

a mother of two, comes to buy presents for her children. Justin Beblawi,

25, has visited since he was a kid and now goes to work there as a clerk.

For people of all ages in Pasadena, Calif., Vroman’s Bookstore, founded

in 1894, has been a mainstay, a meeting place, a reliable sanctuary in a

world of rapid change. When its founder, Adam Clark Vroman, died in 1916,

he left the bookstore to his godson, Alan Sheldon, a Vroman’s employee.