I wish this place was like Shakespeare & Co. in Paris and let people sleep in beds located throughout the premises. Except that I would stay forever and they could never get rid of me. I was there on a Wednesday night while a very popular book reading was held upstairs (yay for supporting authors!) and a book group was having a discussion on the main floor. Their "merch" is clever, unusual, and varied including a section for paper goods, home-focused books and items, and much more. Every staff member seemed friendly and approachable and one actually called upstairs to make sure they were ready to help a customer on his way up to the second floor. I had never heard of Vroman's before, but it is right up there with the great American bookstores, including Powell's and The Tattered Cover. If I ever visit Pasadena again, I will save a half day just to spend at Vroman's and get lost in the aisles. What a treasure. read more

I have been going here since I was a kid and now bring my kids. I was appalled last week to take my children and see clear and center on display a children's book about manners by non other than the person who is still to this day being accused of harassment, Bill O'Reilly. I, along with other parents, would not want a book by that person to be in my home, especially about manners. I'm saddened that they will not stand for what is right and will continue to carry the book. read more

So awesome here!! I spent about an hour looking around and "taking it all in"...and the majority of that time spent was only on the first floor! I WILL come back and see what else piques my interest. read more

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"Indie" bookstore in Pasadena. Multi-faceted, personal, organized and clean. You want to hate it (that darn loyal following!), but it wins you over. The best thing about this bookstore (besides the jacked-up prices)? Seriously, the author-speaking area is fantastic. Upstairs there is space just for events. God knows my neighborhood Barnes and Noble (at the Grove) can't say that for itself. Additionally, Vroman's attracts talent; I saw that Elizabeth Gilbert had a speaking engagement. The neat thing about Vroman's is that is isn't just a bookstore. In a way, it's a stationary store/printer (adjacent to the bookstore), coffee shop (they seemed to have quite a few international brews), toy store (upstairs, next to the speaking-engagement room) and bookstore. The books are organized well, and it's just fun to look around. There are many reference desks, and the people who work there seem to want to be there. There is a magazine stand with international publications outside the bookstore as well. Everything seems just a little on the pricey side, however. Kudos, Vroman's, for having survived in the age of Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Borders. read more

I LOVE this bookstore ^_^ In a time where bookstores are rare to come by, this place is amazing. Books, books, books everywhere, just how I like it. I absolutely love that they have employee "recommendations" scattered throughout the store. When browsing books it always helps to have someone else's opinion/thoughts because with so many choices how can you ever narrow it down to ONE BOOK!? It's an adorable hodge podge of gidgets and gadgets in addition to all the books. Calendars, keychains, [fancy shmancy] pens, stationary, cooking supplies, journals, the list is endless! It receives 4-stars just because of the prices...I totally understand because it's a small business but that doesn't mean my wallet hurts from time to time :'( read more

Bookstores can either be Heaven or Hell... or, you know, just kind of lame sometimes. Vroman's is the kind of bookstore I like to hang out in all day just reading and finding books that I want to buy. I would have spent more time here but I was practically dragged to the cashiers to pay for my single purchase because my companion was aware of my love for book stores. I love it, I miss it, can we go back please? read more

I love this bookstore! Their staff is friendly & knowledgeable. They have a great selection of books, and the coolest postcards I've seen. They also have a bunch of knick-knacks I wanted to purchase, but had to refrain from buying. I wish I lived closer to Pasadena, because I would be at Vroman's all the time. read more

Vroman's Bookstore - I love their selection of Penguin Classics in paperback. - Bookstores Near Me - Pasadena, California

I always appreciate a good book store, in this day and age. Vroman's has the size and selection of a corporate chain store, but with an experienced independent biz feel. They even have greeting cards made by local artists! read more

I love that I can always rely on Vroman's when I am looking for gifts for family and friends. You can spend ages browsing. Not only is the book selection very sizable, but they have fabulous collections of jewelry, seasonal, accessories, home decor, culinary, and spiritual gifts, as well as the best greetings cards. The children's book section is also a delight. Oh, and did I mention the newsstand? Great selection of magazines on an array of subjects. If this place does not become your go-to place for books and gifts, then you are completely insane. This place has been around for over a hundred years, and it deserves to be around for a hundred more. Support this amazing indie retailer. read more

Love this place. They have many variety to keep you entertain besides books. And serves coffee. My kind of place.

I'm a pretty avid reader and go through more books than I really should buy per year. I lived in Austin until now and got really used to being able to hop in my car and go to B&N, Half Price, BookPeople, or (if I was going to Central Market, Amy's, or Westgate) Borders. When I got to Pasadena, I immediately needed to find a close bookstore of course. I found Vroman's and since it was only a 2 block walk away, I decided to give it a try. My first impression was that it was a lot like Book People. That impression has never really gone away. Just so you know, Book People is the super trendy independent bookstore in Austin that has tons of book signings, a coffee shop, and sells a ton of non-book related things as well as having a large variety of books. I think I basically just described Vroman's, too. The nice thing about this type of store is that I can find almost any book I want and know it's independent and not a chain. I also like looking at all the random other things they sell. It's fun. The two things that takes that fifth star away is that 1) I have, on several occasions, not found a book I was looking for. A mainstream book at that. If it was simply hard to find, then fine, but they are not. Also, if it was once I understand that too. But this is like half the time I go in to find something. 2) They have the smallest section on young adult fiction I have ever seen. Even though I am not a teenager anymore, I still love to read things in this genre. It's like one little tiny aisle. So sad. read more

So last night, after hitting up the Get Shaved truck for the second time in two days, my mother decided she wanted to get my Kindle to have as her own... because I haven't been using it. So she and I made a deal: if she buys me the books I have on my Kindle (like three), she can have it for her little romance collection. But I digress. we came in looking for a book in Spanish for my grandmother, two books for me, a book or two for my sister, and possibly a book for my mom. It was our first time in the store, and it was obvious that we were lost. I guided my mother through the bookstore since I was the most bookworm of the two of us, and I got us lost near the literature section. Then I lost her. I'm a bad daughter, I know. I found her trying to get a clerk to help her to find my grandma's book. This is how it went: Clerk: Can I help you? Mom: I was looking for a book in spanish. Clerk: It's on the other side of the bookstore. Go through the door way, past the table, and follow the green pattern on the carpet. Mom: Can you see if you have any books in Spanish by Pearl S. Buck? Clerk: Sure. (looks it up on the computer) We have The Good Earth and The Mother, would you like me to get those for you? Me: She already has those books, doesn't she? Mom: Yeah (sighs, then turns back to clerk) No, those weren't the ones I was looking for. I'll look for something else. Clerk: Okay. (walks away) And then I got lost in the literature section after stumbling on what looked like a book club meeting, and then I stumbled into the Music section to the annoyance of an older man. So I gave up on this part of the store and went to find my mother. She had requested a book from another clerk, who wrote down her order and promised a call after the book had been delivered. My mom found a christian book in spanish, and decided to take that for my grandmother to hold her off until the order came in. We went upstairs to look for the Children's section, because I hadn't found anything downstairs for my sister. She's a picky reader, but it runs in the family so you can say we're a tough crowd. They have an abundance of books, and compared to the Borders and Barnes and Noble I had visited within the last week, Vroman's outshone it's competitors. It was clean, the clerks weren't overbearing or giving snooty glances. It was a relaxed atmosphere, and that was my favorite part. We were approached by a clerk, who told us to grab some cupcakes leftover from a book signing. The author had left, but we snagged a cupcake or two or three (all made from a local baker, and in a variety of flavors) and a signed copy of the featured book. The clerk even talked us into signing up for the gives back club or whatever and explained all the perks and talked about the book signing and stuff. She was very helpful and kind. While my mother chatted with the clerk about Nursing school (my mother wore her dear reliable scrubs), I went back to peruse the children and young adult section for the books I have been wanting to re-read. I found a paperback copy of Kiki Strike, a book not many bookstores happen to carry, but that I have a weird love for. Then, and this is big, I found Vinyl Princess. Vinyl is one of the hardest books to find in Los Angeles, and I had only seen it in person at Ameoba Records. It was either a trip to Ameoba or Amazon, but I had hope that I would find it and I DID FIND THE BOOK! I went back to my mom and she was chatting with two clerks about how good the cupcakes were, and then someone shouted that Vroman's was closing. So we ran downstairs and waited in a crowded line to purchase four books. In the end, we were tired but happy. We found my grandmother and sister a book, which we'll be shipping to Mexico so they can continue their summer reading and won't threaten to disown us. I found two of the three books I was looking for (the third wasn't found because I gave up on the literature section for the day), and my mother was happy about the cupcakes and a future book signing featuring Miss Molly Ringwald. I advise that you set aside time to visit this "independant bookstore". There were so many knickknacks I wanted to go through, so many books I wanted to pick off the shelves and crawl off to the corner with, so many people I wanted to watch and laugh at, that I'm sure I'll be returning. Now I know why my instructors raved about Vroman's. Now I know where they got their gifts from, and why my english teacher giving me a bracelet from here was big. I'm sure anyone will find what they want here... but I need another visit to be sure about the coffee shop and the newsstand. And I'm dying to check out their little theatre. It's kind of a big deal, but since I don't live close enough to visit every week, I won't be a regular. This bookstore is on my mental list of favorite stops in all of California. Don't skip it til you've tried it! read more

Love, love, love Vroman's. It truly exemplifies what a great independent bookstore can be. Whenever I go into Vroman's, I end up with a new book. I can't resist. This store makes me excited to read, and they really have an outstanding selection. Plus, the people that work at the store are extremely well-read and knowledgeable. I love that the employees write reviews on books they recommend. I could spend hours in this location - plus Zelli's (the connected coffee shop?) They have the most delicious frozen hot chocolate. Anyways, love Vroman's! Favorite book store hand's down! read more

We were not disappointed!! Great bookstore! Great vibes;) We love our new town! #liveinpasadena #newregulars

They have so many great books to choose from. I really appreciate their history section and their art section. I think I could stay in those two sections for days. I also like have they have a coffee shop so conveniently set up that you can smell the freshly brewed coffee throughout the book store as you read, it's amazing. I really wish Alhambra had a bookstore like Vromans but because they don't I guess Vromans will due. And the only reason I say this is because I live in Alhambra. read more

Excellent book store and stationary needs. I live in Orange County but still made the trip up to Pasadena when I had stationary needs. They are super helpful, thoughtful, and efficient. I would totally encourage anyone with stationary needs and book needs to visit, look around, enjoy a coffee, and enjoy. Great business!! read more

Oh my great goodness! This place is super awesome! Much much better than Barnes & Noble. Only problem is that I wish there is one in the Valley. A friend took me here for an outing. Now, I know why she loves this place. Insanity ensued. Soooo much cool stuff here! From books to the newsstand. I can easily spend hours here. The coffee shop is quaint & super cute! Great location too! You can find a gift for anyone at any age here. The magazine selection could be better. read more

Love the atmosphere of this place. It is so nice to spend time here. Very relaxing. Saw my favorite author here! Thank you!

This place is so much fun. A book-lover's paradise. There are a million great books and a million interesting categories, with recommendations hanging off of the shelves. The entire upstairs is the children's section, which I think is great, and the design is really whimsical. They even hand out bookmarks at the cash register! The whole experience is really personal. read more

This is everything a bookstore should be. Selection is incredible and varied - you'll absolutely find things you've never heard of. Staff is very friendly, parking is easy and there's a cafe next door if you need some time to sift through what you're thinking about buying. Definitely a Pasadena must-visit whenever you're in the area. read more

I just discovered Vroman's Bookstore while in Pasadena over the Christmas holiday. This is simply an amazing store!! I could stay in this store all day exploring their excellent selection of literature, gifts, stationary, pens and on and on and on. Just a wonderful experience!! read more

I love this store. It is the perfect place to shop for all gifts and fun home-y stuff. They have everything and more. Definitely a shop you could spend your whole day in. read more

Love this bookstore! I just feel really good whenever I go here and it is one of my favorite places in Pasadena. You will enjoy reading as well as their coffee and baked goods at the cafe. read more

I love this place!! Vromans has a special place in my heart and is one of the oldest remaining privately owned bookstores in the area. It's my go-to when buying gifts for family and friends. In particularly, I adore their stationary and calligraphy section. I also love how they group and display their gift items. I can spend hours in this place sometimes. They have a "gives back" program which allows a percentage of each purchase to be donated to local charity organizations. And, they have some GREAT events and presentations by awesome authors all the time. Oh! And free gift-wrapping at Will Call. THUMBS WAY UP. read more

i spend $1,000+ on fiction every year, and as someone who loves and used to work at an independent bookstore, i want to ensure that my hard-earned money doesn't go to amazon and continues to support indie booksellers, especially longstanding community institutions like Vroman's. but after two years of exclusively buying books from Vroman's, i've come to the conclusion that it is overpriced, poorly managed, and has awful customer service. i'm sure this place is great if you are just browsing for books or looking for gifts, but forget about it if you are seeking to order specific or hard-to-find titles. instead, i'm buying all of my books now at Skylight, even though it's not at all close to my house. here's why: 1. super-antiquated online ordering system: their online store probably hasn't been upgraded in over a decade and has an awful user interface. staff will attempt to message you via the online store, but the system doesn't automatically send you an email. you have to log-in to the vroman's system to find out anything about your order. for instance, they might not even be able to order a book you had already paid for, but you won't find out until you bother to log-in and check on the status of your order. 2. terrible customer service: forget about any staff calling you about issues with your order, or when a book that you ordered is available or unavailable, or following any instructions for online orders. one time when i ordered a bunch of books for holiday gifts, they never even sent the order out just because one book was out of stock, and they didn't even bother to call me for a month until I checked on the order myself. Staff at the time tried to make it seem like it was all my fault because I didn't log-in to their dumb online system, even though in my original order I had given instructions to call me if there was anything wrong. keep in mind, i placed this order a full month ahead of the holidays, and in the end, i didn't receive the order until after the holidays; and this was after having to call multiple times to complain. when your customers are choosing to pay full price just so they can support local bookstores instead of amazon, you can at least not be rude to them and make it easy for them to buy from you. 3. no discounts for loyal customers: Skylight has a membership program that includes 10% discount on all books, 20% off bestsellers and event books, and free media mail shipping. 4. uninspired reading series: i understand the need to appeal to all readers, but there are definitely fans of literary fiction who live in Pasadena and Northeast Los Angeles. it feels like a huge missed opportunity that Vroman's public programming barely attempts to cater to this audience in the way that Skylight does. read more

I literally could spend hours here. One of the few remaining bookstores that inspires discovery by wandering around. If you're in the mood for the latest thriller or yoga instruction or a digital photography book, it's yours to explore. This is SOOOO much better than surfing the Internet. The little coffee shop up front is delightful and though, not spacious, is not Starbucks, and the coffee is descent enough. It's parked right by the Shambala section, so if the caffeine is too much, you can calm your jitters by browsing through a few pages on meditation. Vroman's has it's own parking lot in the back, which is great, and encourages lingering and exploring the shelves, the pages and having a little sit on the wooden chairs. The upstairs has a terrific children's section (I don't have kids, but my friends do, and the book selection is large and has a lot of classics). Notably, this is one of the few remaining stores to have an excellent calendar selection. Starting in October, the entire back section is filled with about 4 racks of real paper calendars, desk calendars, pocket calendars, calendars of all kinds. Just in front of that, is a large case of pens - in fact, I just bought my first Noodlers fountain pen at Vroman's - and it's a treasure I will always keep as a reminder of one of the last great independent bookstores. read more

Vroman's is a great bookstore. It would be nice if they had a few more places to sit - I think they used to, but I could be wrong about that. read more

The best bookstore with an amazing selection. Independently owned for over a hundred years.

A lovely large book store with a wonderful assortment of books, stationary, and other great little finds. The free parking in back is fantastic! The store is organized well and it's easy to locate the sections and books that peak your interest. read more

I'm still a loyal customer of Vroman's Bookstore after more than 30 years. I love books and fountain pens, and Vroman's provides an analog oasis in a digital world. The service is warm, friendly, and efficient. The store has a great selection of books, cool toys, stationery. I buy most of my fountain pens and supplies from the Vroman's pens counter. My kids and I really enjoy just coming to browse. I am so happy to live near Vroman's and to continue shopping, browsing at my favorite bookstore. read more

Reading is my past time. I'm really glad I went to this store, I found the book I've been looking for to be read for the day. My sister got that girly magazine too, I just forgot what that was. Anyway, I got mine so 5 stars for this store! read more

Vroman's is such an AMAZING bookstore, it is such a charming store too! I've always wanted a copy of The Little Prince so I decided to embark myself in an adventure to find one.. I called the store and a staff member told me they had a Paperback copy for $10 and Hardcover for $35, I was soo happy with the friendly staff and I'm happier to have found a store that still values old-fashion costumer service and a love for BOOKS!! read more

This is where I buy my favorite incense at the Zen section. They are at most $6 for about 20 sticks that are long lasting and super fragrant, the kind that uplifts your spirit and not make you feel like the whole room smells burnt. Vroman's Bookstore is pretty extensive, I could spend hours just browsing through everything. read more

It is by far the best bookstore out there! Their entire second floor is dedicated to children's books with a reading and play area. There isn't a book that they don't carry, plus, they have unique gifts for all ages. My almost 23 month old and I can spend hours in here We love it! Oh, and I love the coffee shop downstairs! read more

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Don't come here as a person of color when Nancy is a "book manager" on duty. She will follow you around to ensure you're not stealing and act like she's working off her clipboard, cataloguing the books... She followed me around for 30 minutes while I was browsing the store. I'm so flustered and uncomfortable after my encounter today... It's disappointing to see Vromans profiling customers based on their age and skin color. I really regret buying something today after my encounter with Nancy. read more

This is my favorite bookstore hands down. Has been since I was a kid. particularly now with Borders gone, Vromans is that much further ahead of the curve. I literally lose sense of time when I'm in there. First, it is organized so intuitively. I love the layout. Sections flow logically from one to the next. also, the staff is so knowledgeable. The service desk is so helpful. The events are also fantastic. I've attended several book signings there. The kids section upstairs is also fantastic. read more

Vroomans is my absolute favorite bookstore. All the workers are genuinely nice and seem very happy to help everyone. They have a wide selection of books and even a floor dedicated to childrens books. Although I do wish they had a larger section for cultural history. I like that they have multiple versions of books so if you want a simple cheaper version you have that as an option yet they still have collectors editions with beautiful covers. Even if Im not looking for a book I still go in to look at all the interesting items they sell. They really do have something for everyone. They have postcards socks items for spiritual healing. They really just have everything. There is even a nice coffee shop next door and the aroma is so pleasing. At this point i have to go inside every chance i get read more

The bookstore is great. The staff is fantastic. It's easy to spend hours here. The wine bar is unfortunately loud and distracting on a weekend night, though. read more

Whether this is your first time in Pasadena or you've been living here for over 20 years, Vroman's is a classic place to stop by. Some of the books can be a little pricey but they have such a wide selection of new and old releases to firsthand to secondhand books that it is near impossible that you won't find something you'll absolutely adore. The best part of Vroman's is definitely the people too. Please take a second and talk to the staff and ask them about their recommendations because they are some of the most helpful and engaging people I have ever spoken to about books. I asked one staff member about recommendations for Japanese literature and the next thing I knew I had 10 high-quality recommendations in my hands and two employees guiding me throughout the store showing me their top picks. The selections can seem daunting when you first walk in but the employees really know what they're doing, so definitely make use of them. It's really not hard to get the most of just 3 hours of your day here and leave with armfuls of exciting new reads to add to your collections. read more

I used to think Vroman's had the best customer service but am still owed a refund for a book I ordered over a month ago and never received. Wanting to give my business to Vroman's instead of Amazon, I ordered a book that I had to pay $15 more through Vroman's and wait 2-3 weeks for. After 1 month of the book not coming, I was charged for the book but never received info about whether the book came in. I had to go to the store and ask about it. At the store, I was told that the book arrived damaged and that I had to wait another 4-6 weeks for it to come in. Thanks for telling me that before charging me almost $150 for it, Vromans. I asked for a refund and got a receipt without my credit card number on it. 2 weeks later I'm still waiting for my money and get the feeling the refund was not processed correctly. This really affects my opinion of their business practices and makes me have an ick feeling about them. read more