American Express and Lin-Manuel Miranda have an upcoming promotion to bring greater awareness to supporting local communities and small businesses. This Saturday, September 14, 2019, both are teaming up to give people a chance to experience three of Miranda’s favorite family-owned companies in New York City. Miranda remains loyal to its local, family-owned businesses in his Washington Heights neighborhood, some of which he first visited as a kid, before he became the personality he is today.

It’s a great way to jump start this fall and Shop Small (in the lead up to the annual Small Business Saturday).

As Miranda says: “I know how important small businesses are to helping local communities thrive — including my own in Washington Heights. That’s why I’ve teamed up with American Express to back small businesses and encourage people to Shop Small all year long. And this Saturday, we’re doing giveaways at three of my favorite uptown shops so you can grab a book, a bite and a button-down, while supporting the local community.”

While supplies last, when you mention American Express and Lin-Manuel Miranda, you can pick up:

* A free book from community-run bookstore, Word Up, in Lin’s home neighborhood of Washington Heights, which aims to bring forward stories of people who don’t typically get the spotlight.
Word Up Community Bookstore
2113 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY

Emmauel Abreu has been volunteering at Word Up since its inception. Word Up’s role in the Washington Heights community is more than just a bookstore — it’s a community space available to the public for events, meetings or just “to come by after work or after school just to kind of unwind and be surrounded by books and by good people,” as volunteer Emmanuel Abreu puts it.

Because the shop is mostly volunteer-run, it literally depends on the community — Miranda included — to survive and thrive. “At first, people in the neighborhood were a little shocked to see a bookstore because anytime a bookstore opened, it closed a couple of months later,” Abreu explained. “Eventually, everybody came together to support the bookshop because we all realized how much it was needed.”

* Sample one of Lin’s favorite restaurants with a free appetizer from 809 Restaurant & Bar, a Dominican Republic restaurant in Washington Heights/Inwood. This is where he celebrates Thanksgivings.
809 Restaurant
112 Dyckman St, New York, NY

When he’s looking for a little taste of home, Lin-Manuel and his dad head to family-owned 809 Restaurant, named after the Dominican Republic’s area code. “Anytime Lin-Manuel is here with his family, whether it’s for casual dining or Thanksgiving dinner, you can bank on the fact that he’s going to take advantage of what our specialty is, which is Spanish, Dominican, Latino cuisine.”

Lin has been a patron of 809 since its opening in 2006, as their classic Latino flavors remind him of his Puerto Rican heritage. One of the keys to the restaurant’s success, according to owner Jose “Joey” Moronta, is its family approach. “Since our inception, we’ve been a family run business from top to bottom,” he says. On Friday nights, you can expect a family-forward ambiance.

* Head to San Marko Formals in Yonkers to receive a free dress shirt from one of Lin’s favorite brands. This is the same place he got his prom suit and where he goes for all his awards show fittings.