Lin-Manuel Miranda and friends save the Drama Book Shop
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A famous New York City book store that was struggling to pay rent has been saved, thanks to some loyal customers and a Broadway superstar who swooped in to buy the shop before it went out of business.
Rising rents put many New York City shops out of business, but the 101-year-old Drama Book Shop on West 40th Street in the Theater District isn't ready for its final curtain.
"It is a home base for the theater community," said salesperson Rick Anderson.
From actors to directors to those in the pit, the shop is a great resource and a treasure.
"Anything that anybody wants we either have, we can find, or we can help get that for them," said Anderson.
And there's no place like it for Lin-Manuel Miranda. At no cost, he was able to use the basement theater to work on "In The Heights", his first Tony Award-winning musical, the one before Hamilton.
Now, he and three theater friends have bought the shop. "They're heroes to us but they also feel that we were heroes to them," said Anderson.
And this isn't the first time Lin has saved the day. When a burst pipe flooded the store, he encouraged fans to help and sales skyrocketed.
He kept the store in business and its 20 employees on the job, then and now.
The shop's last day at its current location will be Jan. 20 but its new location has already been lined up thanks in part to the city. It will be somewhere in the theater district and it will open sometime later this year.
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