Vroman's Bookstore — Local services in Pasadena

This is a wonderful indie bookstore. I love the look and feel of the place and the people are very courteous. Highly recommend. Since Amazon I'm surprised they have managed to stay open so I think they need the support.

Funny detail: when I first came across Vromans I thought they only sold magazines and travel books (like something you would find at Union Station). To my surprise they had so many great selections. What they didn't have they most likely could order. I go there all the time. They have everything there. You'll get books cheaper on Amazon but there's nothing quite like an oldschool indie book store. Help them fight the good fight. Just to list things they have: Fiction literature section, horror and sci-fi specific sections, books on science, psychology, business, environmental studies, philosophy, Eastern Religious literature, "New Age" selection, Metaphysical books, Christian books including but not limited to Bibles, Islamic Religious books, inspirational books, biography section, History section, learning aids, books on gardening, true crime books, books on film and "how to" titles that help with writing screenplays. Upstairs they have a wonderful children's and YA section. They also sell jewelry, greeting cards, hand bags. You can have them order books for you (some of which you will have to pay for upfront) and you can retrieve your order upstairs (which you can get to either by using the stairs or in an elevator if you have a disability or just plain don't like to use the stairs). They also sell stationary like ball point and fountain pens, journals and diaries. They have a bargain section where you can buy cheap books, some of which are minimally damaged and are discounted for like 40% but from what I could see were still worth the purchase. They have a newsstand outside, they have travel books and comic books. They have poetry and essays sections. They have a limited but humble selection of Vinyl and maybe a small selection of DVD movies (though I'm not sure if the display is still out). Before the pandemic they even had guest authors who would do readings and then do a Q&A session. I'm not sure if that will resume but it is something to ask them about if you are interested. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. And right when the pandemic hit they had JUST finished their wine bar (something I don't think they were ever able to officially open). They even have one of those small give a book, take a book library boxes outside their store.

I dont want to give the wrong impression, they are not a megastore but there just aren't many places like this anymore and they seem to be in touch with what people want, and what they don't have there is a good chance they can order it for you. If they don't have something at the store on Colorado they have another much smaller store on foothill not too far away plus another store they acquired called Book Soup in West Hollywood. If you don't want to make the trip to those other stores, call them and they will have someone deliver it to whatever store is closest to you and then will call you when the book arrives. They even hold books for you for five days. Pretty awesome for a store I once ignorantly thought only specialized in travel books. Haha! Go there and...

I had a frustrating experience with Vroman’s consignment program. While my books were selling, the staff was consistently unresponsive, rude, and unprofessional. Emails and voicemails went ignored for months, and in-person interactions were dismissive at best. Even staff at their sister store, Book Soup, mentioned having similar issues. Their customer service skills are seriously lacking, making it difficult for indie authors to work with them.

After months of being ignored, I called upset and used strong language out of built-up frustration. I take responsibility for that and apologized, but that doesn’t excuse their complete lack of professionalism and poor communication. Instead of addressing my concerns, Vroman’s terminated my consignment partnership altogether—which felt like pure retaliation. Rather than supporting indie authors, they made it clear they refuse to fix their ongoing terrible customer service issues. If you read the other one-star reviews, many others have complained about this.

If you're an indie author considering their consignment program, think twice. You’re paying to be there, but if you dare complain about the lack of communication, they’ll drop you without any accountability. A disappointing and...

Going to Vroman's has always been a fun event, especially in recent times when Jones Coffee opened a shop in the bookstore. We would regularly visit someone who worked at Jones, have a lovely coffee, chat, then happily wander the bookstore. We never left without a purchase. We are told, for the benefit of society, to support local businesses, especially independent bookstores even though prices are much higher, especially at Vroman's, than can be found on line for the same books. We feel it is also important for small businesses to support each other. We were very sad to hear that Jones had decided not to continue at the Vroman's location. We are not business people who totally understand why Jones decided not to continue at this location, and we are sure that the imminent nightmarish construction (due to the also very sad demolition of the theater next door and building of what... more overpriced, pigeon coop condos?) was a factor in their decision. However, it seems Vroman's could have offered a better deal to encourage Jones to continue. We would have appreciated this for the benefit of our community. Although we will continue to try to support local business, it is just unlikely that we will visit the...