Vroman's Bookstore Secret Weapon, Kris Vreeland

It is our privilege to introduce you to Ms. Kris Vreeland, of Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California, winner of our 2007 Independent Bookseller of the Year Award! Okay, this might not exactly be her picture, but it could be. You get that kind of superhero feeling about her. And, does anyone really know what she is up to after she gets off work? She could have another gig fighting the-- uh, well, you-know-whats. (Okay, fine, I promise to post her real pix as soon as I get my mitts on it. )


Without further ado-be-do, here she is! Ka-pow!

"I haven't been with Vroman's since it first opened in 1894, though I have been coming to the store as a customer for the last 22 years when my husband and I moved into the area. I have been with them for 2 1/2 years. I'm a buyer and Children's Department Manager.

I have always loved books, especially children's books. My first book memory is of my father reading me Winnie the Pooh by A.A.Milne when I was about 3 years old. I read the story so many times to my younger brothers and sisters that I can still quote the first couple of pages verbatim when anyone asks.

I had my first job at sixteen at the Montgomery Public Library in Montgomery, PA. The staff consisted of the the head librarian and me (It's a very small town). Since then I've worked in a college library, an elementary school library, as a storyteller, a sign language interpreter, a teacher, a docket clerk for a law firm, in development (fund-raising) in the non-profit sector, an adminstrative assistant for an advertising director (as well as several odd jobs tucked in the middle of things).

Now that my children are grown, I love working at Vroman's in the Children's Department. We have a wonderful staff and great customers. It's very exciting finding all the new gems in children's books. What fun to pass them on to the next generation of book lovers!"

Thanks, Kris! And, congrats to you--

And, heads up, Violets, our esteemed ( and quite strange) life coach, Ms. Viola, will be back with us this coming Thursday. If you have a question you'd like to ask her, you can click on the link in our sidebar. If Ms. Viola picks your question, we'll send you one of our SV mugs. (Known to arrive full of chocolate!) Until then, friends-

Best,
Mary Hershey