Another Beloved Retailer in California Now Makes A Surprising Closure

May 17, 2024

Another beloved retailer in California now makes a surprising closure marking an end of an era for the brick and mortar business.

Vroman’s, a beloved indie bookstore in Pasadena, officially closed one of its two locations on Mother’s Day.

The Hastings Ranch location was forced to close after the company was unable to reach a new lease agreement with the property owner that was “sustainable due to increasing occupancy expenses,” the company wrote on Instagram.

“While this development is unexpected and disappointing, we are most disheartened by the impact on our co-workers,” the company wrote.

“Their dedication and hard work made that store successful, and we are forever grateful.”

Vroman’s said 12 workers were impacted by the closure.

“It’s going to lack a lot,” said Tom Reed of Monrovia.

“People are going to have to drive some distances to find the next store where they can get what they once got here. From books to games to puzzles … from A-to-Z really.”

Vroman’s flagship store on Colorado Boulevard will remain open.

Owner Joel Sheldon announced his retirement in January and shared his plans about seeking new ownership.

“I’d sooner come to a place like this than Barnes & Noble,” said Vroman’s customer Henry Olivas.

“Nothing wrong with them, it’s a nice bookstore, but I’d rather give my money to somebody who’s local and who’s a family business.”

Vroman’s is also selling its Book Soup store in West Hollywood.

In the Instagram post, Sheldon said the goal is to keep business going as usual to avoid disruption to customers and employees.

“We are looking for an individual or group of owners that understands the legacy of Vroman’s and wants to continue our core values,” Sheldon told Eyewitness News in January.

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Another massive retailer is now closing due to crime despite its location being a community staple for several years.

Rampant theft has led Walgreens to permanently close one of its major locations at the White Oak Shopping Center in Maryland, reports The-Sun.

Staff and shoppers told ABC affiliate WJLA-TV that the store was closed due to high rates of theft and crime.

Mobile security cameras were recently added by police in the parking lot around stores in the shopping center.

A source also told WJLA-TV that the shopping center’s management company had to fire their security company and hire a new one.

Just last year, there was an armed robbery inside Walgreens, resulting in a man and a woman taking an unknown amount of money and products.

Robberies have become a major problem in the area as stores get ransacked by violent thieves.

A resident told the outlet she was too scared to leave her car in the shopping center’s parking lot.

She says she saw another woman get assaulted and robbed.

“You can simply be walking and they take your purse and start running and they leave you with nothing,” said Sarah Rodriguez.

“That’s why when I’m here before I get out of my car I always look around first.”

Walgreens corporate execs announced earlier this year that about 150 stores will be closed throughout the US.

This would reduce the company’s corporate staff by about 10%, resulting in over 500 positions being eliminated.

News of a replacement for the store in the White Oak Shopping Center hasn’t been announced.

However, the center has been struggling to replace the Sears location that has sat vacant for over three years.

“Yeah, it’s not good, because everyone is complaining,” said resident Kokou Eafbo.

“This is the only pharmacy we have in this area and suddenly they close, we don’t understand.”

The shopping center had once been a thriving area full of shops in Montgomery County, reports The US Sun.

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