Olsson’s Books & Records founder John Olsson died last Thursday. A Washington native and graduate of Catholic University, Olsson began working in retail for Discount Records in Washington in 1958 and stayed until 1972 when he opened his own record store. He eventually added books to the mix. At its height Olsson’s had nine book and music stores in the Washington, D.C. metro area with sales over $16 million and 200 employees. Thirty-six years after the independent chain opened, it went into bankruptcy in fall 2008 and closed all of its locations.
The funeral will be held at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Md., on November 2 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society-MD Chapter, 11350 McCormick Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031.
