Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda used his star power to save New York’s Drama Book Shop after a burst pipe wreaked havoc at the store, destroying some of its inventory. Founded in 1917, the Drama Book Shop is a gem beloved by theater geeks the world over. It deals exclusively in books about and for theater and is a home away from home for people like Miranda, who launched a social media campaign to help the beleaguered book shop recover. (Check out his YouTube video below.)
Drama Book Shop owner Roz Seelen was so grateful for Miranda’s advocacy that she told PIX11 news that Miranda was welcome to “free books for the rest of his life.” The #BuyABook hashtag was Miranda’s invention, encouraging his followers to bump up business in the store’s time of trouble. It’s worked. Miranda has a personal link to the shop. On YouTube he told his followers: “I wrote most of In The Heights in the basement so the best thing you can do is come to The Drama Book Shop, if you’re in town, and buy things!”
