NEW YORK — With the holiday shopping season upon us, actor and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is encouraging people to take part in Small Business Saturday, an effort to shop at local, independent stores on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Lin-Manuel Miranda arrives at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 22. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, file

Growing up in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, the award-winning actor and “Hamilton” creator said small businesses were a staple in the neighborhood.

“I think New York City is better when it’s full of small businesses. I think the world is better. I grew up in a neighborhood that was dotted with small businesses,” Miranda said at a recent pop-up shop put on by American Express, creator of Small Business Saturday.

“That’s a part of what makes New York special and makes the world special, is those places you can’t find anywhere else in the world,” he said.

This year, he also became a small business owner by teaming up with a group that includes theater owner James Nederlander to purchase the Drama Book Shop, a century-old store in the theater district that was in danger of closing due to high rent prices. The new location nearby will open in March.