Iconic bookstores Vroman’s and Book Soup have welcomed a new owner in Robert Hoffman, ending a two-year search after former owner Joel Sheldon announced in 2024 that he planned to retire.
The Pasadena native comes from a long line of regulars at the two independent stores, starting with his great-grandmother, Georgia Bullock, who served as the first woman Superior Court judge in California from 1931 to 1956.
Ever since he was a “young nerdy boy,” Hoffman said, the Pasadena-based Vroman’s and the West Hollywood-based Book Soup have given him experiences that cannot be replaced by modern technology. Those include buying books with his mother, learning more about his nephews through the books they bought and having book-related conversations in The 1894, Vroman’s wine bar.
“They are more than stores — they are community landmarks. Our strategy is built around that idea,” he said in an emailed response to the Business Journal. “Vroman’s and Book Soup are resilient because they are rooted in communities, diversified in revenue, and unmistakably valuable in ways a Kindle or an iPad can’t replace.”
‘Solid financial shape’
Having lost his mother and brother this year, Hoffman said he looked forward to spending more time in L.A. — closer to the family and the bookstores that for many years tied them together. He has worked in public policy in Washington for three decades, since graduating from UCLA. For now, the bookstores will carry on with their day-to-day operations.
“We’re in solid financial shape,” Hoffman added. “Vroman’s and Book Soup had a strong fiscal year 2025, and we have seen strong customer turnout over the summer.”
Vroman’s was founded in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman, an ex-railroad worker and photographer from Illinois. It remained in the hands of the Sheldon family for over 100 years, surviving the Great Depression, World War II and the invention of digital books, which gained massive popularity after Amazon.com Inc. introduced the Kindle in 2007. Book Soup also passed its quinquagenarian mark last year. Now, as the new warden of the community landmarks, Hoffman said he felt energized and “ready to protect what makes them special.”
