Vroman's Bookstore

California's oldest independent bookstore, founded 1894 on Colorado Boulevard

Address 695 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101

Vroman's is one of the genuinely great independent bookshops remaining in Southern California: large enough to have a serious selection across all categories, small enough to feel like a place where the staff have actually read the books they're recommending. It occupies a substantial corner space on Colorado Boulevard and has a calendar of author events that reflects Pasadena's literary and intellectual culture.

The children's department is excellent. The stationery and gift section is larger than you'd expect. The café serves decent coffee and is a reliable spot for working or reading on a weekday morning.

things to do shopping
A story
Vroman's was founded in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman, a bookseller who also became one of the most important early photographers of Native American life in the Southwest. His photographs of Hopi and Pueblo communities, taken between 1895 and 1904, are now part of major museum collections. The bookstore he founded outlasted him by over a century and is now the oldest independent bookstore in Southern California.