Ron Robinson, left, signs a copy of Years for Ronnie Schneider. Schneider is the author of Out of Our Heads. It's his memoir of touring with The Rolling Stones and working with The Beatles in the 1960s.
Ron Robinson Brings In 'Years' at Shop’s 40th
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ron Robinson boutique, the founder, Ron Robinson, unveiled a memoir called Years at a Nov. 15 party at his shop on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue.
Years chronicles how a kid from El Paso, TX, came to Los Angeles and built one of the town’s influential boutiques. Robinson also reflected on working with pioneering retailer Fred Segal, a famous 1981 dinner with Stevie Wonder in Japan, and how he survived the Great Recession. There’s also some nuts and bolts details of how to run a bricks-and-mortar operation during a time when digital commerce is eating marketshare of physical stores.
Years retails for $19.78, and, yes it is a play on the year Ron Robinson opened. Proceeds from book sales will go to the Red Cross to help those who lost homes during recent fires in Malibu, Calif. and in Northern California.
In a break between signing copies of Years, Robinson said that he remains pleasantly shocked at his shop’s enduring success.
"I try to stay grounded and humble. But when someone says ‘It’s been 40 years. I become excited and very proud of our accomplishment and those who helped and worked with me. I think about how amazing things have been. I’ve been fortunate,” he said.
