Vroman's Bookstore

The last of the GREAT story time readers is here in Pasadena at Vroman's Book Store. He is only at the Colorado Blvd. location on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
I love the fact that he is a "he". It's so good for my son to hear stories read by
a man.... And done so with great expression and wit!!!!

You won't be disappointed if you take your kids to hear him read. YOU will enjoy him, too. I hope Vroman's keeps him there FOREVER!

There are 2 Vroman's stores in Pasadena. The larger store on Colorado has a good selection of books and helpful staff.

However, I have *never* had a positive experience at the smaller Hastings Ranch Vroman's store. The staff rarely if ever knows the books on their shelves and they often give me a blank stare when I ask for assistance. This store has a limited selection of titles with a staff that is unhelpful and the supervisor in the store was downright rude when I needed assistance. I will NEVER go back to the smaller Vroman's store due to the rude supervisor.

I may even do my book shopping at Amazon now, at least I don't pay sales tax, often get free shipping, and get better help from Amazon online than I do from the supervisor (Phoenix) and sales staff at Hastings Ranch Vroman's.

I would never go back to the Hastings Ranch Vroman's. Today another customer happened to tell me out of the blue how rude and unhelpful the smaller store is.

If you are used to good customer service at the main store, you will be in for a serious and negative shock at the smaller Hastings Ranch store.

Vromans has the selection of similar establishments such as Barnes and Noble and Borders but with a more personalized touch. They offer many books in obscure categories and also have a large selection of toys, including Brios. Often, they have authors come in for book signings. Most book prices are MSRP and they are able to special order books. Their customer service is very friendly and knowledgeable, who never hesitate to recommend a good book to you. Parking is average as the lot isn't very big, but you will probably find a space if you're willing to take a short walk.

I am very impressed with this book store. The store is huge and they have a nice selection of books. The employees here rock, they are so helpful. I have recommended this book store to all my family and friends and they have also been pleased and very impressed with this book store.

Great independant bookstore with an excellent selection and sales staff. The main reason I love Vroman's over other bookstores such as Borders and Barnes and Noble is that they carry the books I want to read. Where the large chain stores will only carry one or at most two books by authors I'm interested in Vroman's will consistentaly carry everything written by that author. They also carry a more interesting selection of calendars/organizers/gifts than the chains stores do. In addition to great service, though, they also have great sales staff who are genuinely interested in books and can give good recommendations based on what you like to read.

PROS: Great selection, great service
CONS:

You will be in this store for hours. The books and knick knacks are great. The stationary store is wonderful. It has great kids section also. You won't want to leave!

Beautiful bookstore that has been here for quite a while and built quite a community reputation for itself. This place accomodates a lot of people, so it is never as quiet as bookstores used to be, but the amount of inventory in here is amazing, and you will not get bored!

I went into this store for just a short while and realized immediately that this was a place I had to come back to soon and spend hours in. Looks like the perfect bookstore to me.

I walked by this place over in over before I finally went in. I worked in the area, and just never had time to make a stop. When I did, I was truly impressed. There book selection is incredible, but not only that, they have great stationary and gifts as well. The play is huge, but you couldn't really tell from the street. There are 4 or 5 small gift shops within the store, and upstairs they have a great kids area and stationery section. I throughly recommend this spot!

PROS: So much great stuff
CONS: You may spend more than you bargained for

Going to Vroman's bookstore is an event for my daughter. We try to go on the weekend when they have story time. The guy is excellent. And sometimes it is followed up by a visit from a famous book character. Like last month we went and "Frog and Toad" were there. Bring your camera or get a Polaroid shot that the staff takes, make a craft that goes along with the day's theme, leave with a balloon. The hardest part about our family visits to the kids' section of Vroman's is choosing only one book from the vast selection and leaving. This is only accomplished by promising to come back soon.

PROS: Children's department & huge selection.
CONS:

This store is a Pasadena treasure. An amazing bookstore, magazine stand and coffee shop all together, yet still separate. A big store with an ample selection of books and gifts but without the cookie cutter/chain store feel.

Vromans has the best selection and service of any bookstore in Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. If you're tired of the chain bookstores and the mediocre service and staff, this place is for you. Friendly and helpful employees, awesome children's section and by far the best selection of books I've found anywhere, not to mention, some good coffee.

If youre into magazines, there newsstand has a great variety also.

i just moved to the area from out of state. i go to a *lot* of bookstores, so i know whereof i speak when i say that this one is *awesome*. better than book soup, better than canterbury books in madison, wis., better than kramerbooks in d.c., better than (now dead) hungry mind in st. paul. and it's not just the size of the store, either -- it doesn't hurt that the shop is huge, of course, but if size were all that mattered, we wouldn't need anything other than barnes & noble.

no, what's far more remarkable is the merchandise "editing," which is inspired and inspiring. i found things i wanted to buy in every section i browsed, including *back* issues of the believer in literary anthologies -- and i found whole *sections* i wanted to buy, too. (they have, for example, a "pop culture" section.)

the only disappointments were the california section (i expected it to be less historical, which is the more obvious route, and instead more forward-looking -- heavier on the mike davis types and maybe throwing in sandra tsing loh, for example) and the prices. (i have one of those 10% discount cards at b&n -- i know, make the sign of the cross at me and fling holy water in my face. i wear garlic to ward myself off, too.) but with the prices, i sort of think of the extra $$ as a charitable donation.

oh, yeah, one more little complaint: i wish they were open later!

You can definetly spend some time here! Besides the books, Vroman's has a great selection of cards and gifts. They have a huge children's section! You won't leave this store empty handed.

I love this bookstore. It's got character, class, and isn't homogenized like Barnes and Noble or Borders. There's a great selection in the kid's area upstairs, and lots of neat gift ideas. Theres a newsletter that you can subscribe to where they announce events and signings. The staff is always helpful. Highly recommended!

PROS: Nice selection, great atmosphere
CONS:

one of the Valley's best major retailers. It offers a good selection with a cafe. Other small used bokstores can be found in the same area within a few blocks.

I love this store. The childrens section is like a dream world for kids. They sell a great selection of Brio and educational toys that you can't find at the other childrens stores. Caters to all ages of children. Stationary and gift items are unique and fun.

PROS: Everything is wonderful about this store...selection, unique gift ideas and stationary.
CONS: Be prepared this store is expensive!!!!

If you are looking for anything in particular, come here first. Great for borwsing and making unexpected finds. Their speakers and lecturers ar great. I actually got to hear Robert Olen Butler and get my book signed. The crowd was small and intimate enough to really allow for great dialogue amongst the guests and writer. It also sports an adjacent coffeeshop, so once you make your purchase, you may enjoy it nearby. The service is wonderful. I have had their reference folks go out of their way to track down arcane books for me with a passion reserved for feral wolves. They also have stationery and calendar items, allowing you to find some great little gifts.

PROS: great book selection and speakers
CONS: parking can sometimes be a challenge on a busy Saturday, so be patient

A wonderful independent bookstore. They have a very large selection of books in a very nice, comfortable setting. It is everything a chain bookstore wishes it could be. It also has an adjacent coffee shop where you can sit and enjoy your purchases.

This bookstore is a terrific place to spend a few hours. It includes a large well-stocked bookstore, a small cafe and a terrific magazine/newspaper selection. Next store one can peruse its stationary selection. I can find my favorite cooking magazines; my husband can find his german newspaper. Hours: open seven days a week. Plenty of parking is found in the lot behind the store.

This is a really fun store to just wander around in. They have one of the best selections of books and very friendly and knowledgable service people. They are people who genuinely love books and love working there. If you can't find a book here, it is quite possible that it doesn't actually exist. I prefer this location over the smaller one near Hastings Ranch.

Vroman's is a classic bookstore, replete with small town feel and service to boot. They have a great selection and can order almost anything you want. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the atmosphere is comfortable and relaxing. They are also online. They also have a great stationary department for ordering cards, invitations, embossers etc.

This has got to be one of the best bookstores around. They have EVERYTHING - from a wide range of genres and subjects to stationary to calanders to a coffee shop on site. The staff is really helpful - much more so than Borders or other big chains. I have never not found anything I was looking for. I enjoy browsing to see what is new and for the employee selections.

Vroman's is well-known in the LA area as one of the best bookstores. It is a family-run business that has been around for decades and really caters to the community. The store itself is homey and comfortable. They offer not only a wide selection of books, but also other items and events, such as book signings and caroling during the holidays. I used to sing in a choir and one of our favorite events during the year was the hour or two we would spend singing Christmas carols at Vroman's around the holidays. It is located in the fabulous Old Town area of Pasadena, which has really boomed in the past few years and is a great place to spend an afternoon shopping.

My toddler loves this place. Great kids section and they have storytelling a couple nights a week. I really like the Saturday workshops with some really great speakers and presentations. This is one of my favorite places to spend some free time getting lost in the various sections of books. Not only are the book selections GREAT, but they have a vast selection of specialty item and gift items.

A fun place for book aficianados and crafters alike. They have a wide range of everything from your classic books to great stationary to choose from. You could spend hours in this place just browsing if you had the time. Staff is helpful when needed but not overly perky and annoying.

This is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon getting lost in the various sections of books. Not only are the book selections GREAT, there are lots of stationary and gift items. The children's book section is phenomenal!

Fantastico! Exccellent choice of books, and a fabulous atmosphere. Many Saturday mornings I spent walking around the Vromans looking for a chair. When I found one, I'd sit and read, and nobody seemed to mind too much. The chairs aren't the most comfortable, and the selection of books is somewhat less than Borders, but not a huge megachain, so you gotta give them props for that. I especially like the fact that they had a big computer section and then it shrank. That's right. Instead of carrying "Teach Yourself the Power Button in 21 days" they just said "these things suck, we're not going to sell them." That takes character.

A Pasadena classic, Vroman's offers a homey environment with a surprisingly thorough collection. Most remarkable is an entire floor dedicated to children's literature! You will find many adults perusing the floor recalling favorite books, as all the"classics" seem to be available here.

The store is a bit more expensive than larger retailers, but you also get a homespun feel. Employees here know the business well and can be very helpful when ordering special items. There is also a well-knowncafe with very nice coffees and pastries; the cafe is located right on Colorado Blvd. and can be accessed from the street of from the bookstore.

Nothing compares to this bookstore. It's what any "Borders" or "Barnes and Noble" wish they could be. Great kids section with enough title for my voracious readers. The gift and card sections are great - always can find something I couldn't have foundanywhere else. Love the Independent bookstore. The Saturday workshops are such a great service to all the wanna-be and future writers - with speakers and presentations. Wonderful place!

The perfect place to bring your toddler/preschooler for story hour on Wednesday or Saturday. If they don't like listening to the story, they can have a wonderful time playing with the train table and the other toys they have out. Be sure to grab yourself a coffee downstairs first!

monstrously large indy bookstore that actually likes books--check out their calendar of author events.

GREAT selection of books (especially Orchid and landscaping books!!) and merchandise. Friendly, helpful staff. I tend to get lost here for hours.

Vroman's Bookstore is a fine alternative to the huge bookstore chains such as Barnes and Noble or Borders. It combines the resources of a large store with the character and feel of an independent bookstore. Vroman's also has a good selection of cards, calendars, and other items in addition to the books.

This wonderful independent bookstore has hundreds of magazines and a great assortment of books. The store also brings a wide variety of speakers in for book signings.

Staff recommendations are good. A great independent bookstore.