Obituary: John Olsson

John Olsson, founder of the former Olsson’s Books and Records, died last Thursday, October 28.

Olsson was attending Catholic University in 1958 when he started working at a Dupont Circle shop called Discount Records. He worked there for 14 years, and, in 1972, decided to open his own store. At its height, Olsson’s had nine locations in and around Washington, D.C., each of which “adopted the personality and interests of its neighborhood,” wrote Marc Fisher in the Washington Post.

In September 2008, when Olsson closed the stores’ five remaining locations due, in part, to a weak retail economy and plummeting music sales, he said, “Although it is certainly a sad day for us, I can rejoice in all the great memories of my life in retail in Washington.... I’m very proud of what we accomplished.”

Olsson is survived by many family members and friends. A funeral service was held on Tuesday, November 2. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society-MD Chapter, 11350 McCormick Road, Hunt Valley, MD, 21031.