Backstage with Sandy Kenyon: A Tony Award for Ernest Winzer Cleaners
MORRIS HEIGHTS, Bronx (WABC) -- The Morris Heights section of the Bronx is a world away from Broadway, yet the link between one dry cleaning business and the Great White Way goes back more than 100 years.
It is an association that has earned Ernest Winzer Cleaners a Tony Award for excellence.
"My grandfather bought it from the original owner, who was Ernest Winzer," owner Bruce Barish said. "All he did was theater."
And it is a labor of love.
"You never know who is going to be on the other side of that phone call, saying 'Do you mind if we come and drop off my costumes?'" Sarah Barish said.
Learning of the award was a moment of celebration.
"I was pretty blowna way," Bruce Barish said. "I kind of knew it was a possibility that someday it might happen, but we certainly never knew when. It's nice to be recognized for 110 years. We've been doing it forever, and apparently, we don't make too many mistakes. Because we do most of Broadway."
The hallways are lined with posters of shows they've done over the years.
"The award, to me, just shows an appreciation of the success of years of hard work by my grandfather and his staff, and my father and his staff, and the present staff we have here right now," Bruce Barish said. "We don't miss a beat. Every day, the show must go on."
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