Anna Blom, a Russian immigrant, opened the Anna Blom Book Shop in 1938 at the current location of Drees. She was a beloved and long-time fixture in downtown Olympia, presiding over the store until 1968. The bookshop still exists, now called Browser’s, on Capitol Way. Anna is pictured here surrounded by some of the thousands of books at the store.
Daily Olympian photo, 1964, State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2019