A horror bookshop in California has been saved from closure after a host of high-profile fans including Neil Gaiman, Guillermo del Toro and Cory Doctorow offered their support.

Dark Delicacies in Burbank, California, has been running since 1994, but co-owner Del Howison said the business had been put under enormous financial strain over the last few years, thanks to “skyrocket[ing]” rents. The store’s lease was up in May, and he and his wife Sue had “resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be forced to close, just shy of our 25th anniversary. We were heartbroken,” he wrote on GoFundMe, where he launched an appeal last week to raise $20,000 (£15,000) to move the shop to a new location around the corner.

“We knew we would never become rich running the store, and that was OK. We just wanted to be able to do something we loved and be a part of the community we cherished. A possible new location, coupled with all the people who wrote and stopped by asking us to stay in business, made Sue and I realise we weren’t ready to go quietly into the night,” he wrote. “Moves are expensive and this one is no exception. So, we are asking for a little help in making a resurrection possible.”

Director Del Toro called on his fellow “horror lovers” to help the store, writing on Twitter: “I love Burbank. I edited Cronos, Blade II, Mimic etc, there … and I love, love, love Dark Delicacies. I vow to help it move successfully. You can help, too.”

The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth director, who is also co-author with Chuck Hogan author of The Strain series of horror novels, was joined in his appreciation of the store by Gaiman, who called it “a wonderful bookshop”, and by the novelist Cory Doctorow, who also backed the crowdfunder. On his website BoingBoing, Doctorow described Dark Delicacies as an “amazing quarter-century institution”.

Dark Delicacies has now raised more than $24,000 in four days. “We have hit the initial sum we were reaching for due to the generosity of you, the fans and professionals. We cannot thank you enough,” said Howison. “This amount will cover the demo and partial build-up of the new store. Additional money donated will go to finishing the building and help with the actual relocation We are estimating that to be an additional $10,000.”