Pasadena Magazine

February 2016 - Beauty, Love and Money

Pasadena Magazine is the bi-monthly magazine of Pasadena and its surrounding areas – the diverse, historically rich and culturally vibrant region that includes Glendale, the Eastside of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley all the way to Claremont.

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/648495

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 15 of 115

it home and I was looking at the copyright pages and was saying 'I wonder if this is a fi rst edition?'" Through his research, Whitmore discovered his spontaneous purchase was, in fact, a fi rst edition and became hooked on collecting, making routine pilgrimages to secondhand and rare bookstores in search of adding to his collection. His pursuit took to him various states and cities, and while in Baltimore, Whitmore discovered Royal Books, a shop known for their impressive collection of fi rst editions. Through his admiration for the shop, he struck up a friendship with the owner, Kevin Johnson. "He became a good friend of mine and a mentor to me. As I was collecting, he impressed upon me all these lessons that as a novice collector you need to learn as you get started so he was a great resource for me. I made the transition into dealer, in part, based on conversations with him," says Whitmore. Whitmore's disposable income from working at the law fi rm allowed him to splurge and scout for books that he was able to sell. He sold the fi rst one privately then turned to his mentor Johnson to sell on consignment. Based off his transactions with Johnson and steady return on his investments, Whitmore quickly realized money could be made as a book dealer, but things didn't take off immediately for Whitmore Rare Books. "[Johnson] basically made it look easy. Little did I realize, he was able to sell books fairly easily because he had built up this business and reputation and priced things exactly right. Then, I started on my own and I was like, 'okay I need to take a step back. It's not going to be so easy.'" Through his perseverance, Whitmore began to gain respect and recognition in the collecting community as he created a name for himself and his business. " I think a lot of people see it as a positive," says Whitmore of his age. "It shows that there's a future for book collecting. I've also had some collectors who are younger themselves and reach out to me because we have a shared passion." Now on his sixth year in business, Whitmore has cultivated a strong customer base across all generations and is looking forward to the future of Whitmore Rare Books. "We're building a following, we've got a group of people who purchase from us and we have some people who purchase exclusively through us. It really is a business where people need to know and trust you and have confi dence that you know what you're doing. The only way to do that is one day at a time." Aging Gratefully When unwanted wrinkles and facial lines start appearing, there's plenty of cosmetic solutions, but plastic surgery and chemical peels aren't for everyone. Author Lian Dolan gives her perspective on why she'll never go under the knife. STORY BY // LIAN DOLAN ∫ "DO YOU DO A LOT OF DRIVING?" THE AESTHETICIAN FINGERED THE SIDE OF MY FACE, THEN HELD UP A LARGE MIRROR AND MADE ME SCRUTINIZE THE WRINKLES AROUND MY LEFT EYE. "LOOK, CROW'S FEET AROUND THIS EYE, BUT NONE AROUND THE OTHER. EITHER YOU DO A LOT OF DRIVING OR YOU SLEEP ON THAT SIDE AND GRAVITY IS DOING THE DAMAGE." [VERY PASADENA] 14 FEBRUARY 2016 T A L K A B O U T T O W N PULSE the pulse_Feb16.indd 14 1/20/16 2:18 PM

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Pasadena Magazine - February 2016 - Beauty, Love and Money