Yes we realize that East Cambridge starts at the tracks but …
The East Cambridge Business Association (ECBA) and the Inman Square Business Association (ISBA) are kicking off 2017 by announcing a merger that will strengthen the East Cambridge and Inman Square business districts and expand the reach of ECBA beyond its current borders.
The East Cambridge Business Association will now represent business owners from Lechmere Square to Inman Square, and Inman Square will be among the commercial areas represented by ECBA which already include First Street, Binney Street, Hampshire Street, and One Kendall Square in the Wellington Harrington Neighborhood.
The ECBA has been successfully connecting business owners since it began in 2008 when like-minded business owners, recognizing the budding potential of East Cambridge for small and large business growth, convened and started the organization.
“We are excited about the potential that this merger brings to growing the ECBA” said Patrick Magee, ECBA president and owner of Atwood’s Tavern. “At one end of Cambridge Street we will be focusing on integrating a successful Northpoint development into the small business fabric of the street and at the other end we will be reinforcing Inman Square as one of Cambridge’s great destinations.”
“Inman Square and East Cambridge businesses are the epitome of what people envision when they hear the words ‘small business’ in Cambridge. ISBA has been a great organization that has worked to promote that image,” says Jenny McBride of ISBA and co-owner of Inman Oasis. “We are excited to join with ECBA and feel they will help to further our interests and promote Inman Square.”
The ECBA began with a mission: to promote and maintain sustainable commerce in East Cambridge; to be a single voice for its members; to promote activities that bond East Cambridge businesses with their neighborhood; to preserve the historical integrity and importance of East Cambridge; and to promote an active stewardship of the neighborhood.
Among its many successes, the ECBA has produced the annual Smoke This Rib Fest since 2010. The event has brought great attention to the growing culinary scene in East Cambridge, Kendall and Inman Squares. The ECBA has also invested significantly in Cambridge Street beautification projects like East Cambridge In Bloom, Holiday Baskets, American Flags and an annual Clean Up Day, efforts that will be expanded to Inman Square.
“East Cambridge is made up of both large and small businesses and they rely on each other to create a vibrant commercial district.” Says, Magee. “We look forward to embracing Inman Square as part of this ecosystem of commercial activity and providing a foundation that business owners can lean on when they need assistance. We are in the process of conceiving a spring time event in Inman Square and hope to have a similar success as Rib Fest.”