Bobby Tichenor, co-founder and longtime owner of Annie Bloom's Books, Portland, Ore., died last week at age 80.
Tichenor founded the store with her original business partner, Susan Bloom, in 1978, when Tichenor was a student at Lewis & Clark Law School. Her second partner was Gloria Borg Olds. Initially the store opened across the street from its current location, where it's been since 1983.
When the store turned 40 in 2018, Tichenor said it has thrived in large part because of a customer base that appreciates the value of supporting an independent neighborhood business. "We have always envisioned Annie Bloom's as a place of both retreat and gathering; available for support or solitude. People have fallen in love and found open hearts and minds when in need. There is very little turnover in staff and many have been around for many years. A more diverse and wonderful group could not be found. It is truly a family."
On Facebook on Saturday, the Annie Bloom's family posted in part that since founding the store, Tichenor "has been sharing her love of books with the Multnomah Village community... Annie Bloom's is what it is because of a lot of people, but none more than Bobby.
"In Bobby's honor, our window display currently houses a collage with pictures of her, a few of her staff favorites through the years, and a gorgeous flower wreath with colors that just feel like Bobby. When you're in the Village, come on by and take a look! And if one of her favorites in the display calls to you, we'd be honored to grab it for you to peruse. We would love to know people are continuing to discover and connect with Bobby's favorite books. 46 years of books finding their readers because of Bobby--what an incredible legacy. We'll proudly carry it on for many years to come."