Portrait Of A Bookstore

Owned by local residents (and Hollywood television producers) Julie and Frank von Zerneck, Portrait of a Bookstore was a beloved boutique independent bookshop serving the San Fernando Valley. The owners originally named the shop so their logo could feature the "portrait" silhouettes of their four children.

While the shop operated at various storefronts in the Toluca Lake and Ventura Boulevard areas over its lifespan, it is best remembered for its final, most iconic iteration: nestled snugly in the back of the Aroma Coffee & Tea Company at 4360 Tujunga Avenue. This "shop-in-a-shop" setup created incredible synergy, allowing Valley locals and Hollywood celebrities to browse curated books before reading them over coffee in Aroma's woodsy, French bistro-style courtyard.

Despite its tiny footprint, the store punched well above its weight class. It was celebrated for its tightly curated inventory of current fiction, children's literature, beautiful one-of-a-kind trinkets, and Old English-style knick-knacks. Influential figures like director Paul Feig regularly cited the shop as a creative inspiration.

Staffed over the years by dedicated managers and book buyers (like Beth Anderson and Lucia Silva), the store frequently placed books on national recommendation lists, including NPR's summer reading picks. Sadly, mirroring the broader struggles of independent physical retail in the early 2010s, Portrait of a Bookstore closed its doors around late 2012.