Midtown's Drama Book Shop To Reopen In March

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A Midtown bookstore adored by the theater set will open its doors next Spring after nearly going out of business.

The Drama Book Shop will open in March 2020 at 266 West 39th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, store owners announced Tuesday. The new store is only one block away from its previous location on West 40th Street.

Drama Book Shop closed in January after a rent hike nearly shuttered the century-old business for good. A team of Broadway stars led by "Hamilton" creators Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Jeffrey Seller and theater producer James L. Nederlander teamed up to buy the struggling business and find it a new location.

"The Drama Book Shop is the heart and soul of the New York theater community," Miranda said in a statement. "It’s been an oasis in midtown for a century of storytellers and theater fans alike - a safe space to gather, to learn, and to find great books and music. I found my collaborators there."

The Broadway stars teamed up with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment to secure Drama Book Shop's new location. The new owners who bought the store will continue to operate the store in partnership with the city, according to a press release.

Drama Book Shop was previously operated by Rozanne Seelen and was founded more than 100 years ago. Seelen and co-owner Allen Hubby announced in October 2018 that their landlord was raising the store's rent from $18,000 to $30,000 per month, which would mean the end of the business. The store is known for stocking one of the largest collections of plays in the United States.