On Your Way Down The Ocean Hon-Stop in Cambridge

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April 29, 10:04 PM

by Anne Boone-Simanski, Baltimore Events Examiner

 

 

 In just five years, the historic eastern shore town of Cambridge, has become an up-and-coming destination on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore, attracting entrepreneurs, investors and travelers from all over the Mid-Atlantic region.

Cambridge embraced the national Main Street model for development in 2003, becoming an official Maryland Main Street community. Since then, more than $15 million has been invested downtown, creating a net gain of 16 new businesses. This downtown transformation has made Cambridge, a quaint town with a population of 12,000 located in Maryland’s treasured Chesapeake Bay area, a lively center of dining, shopping and the arts, positioned for major growth.

First settled in 1684, Cambridge is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. The area has a rich nautical heritage and is home to several museums, an expansive national wildlife refuge and a growing network of historic sites devoted to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. But it is the downtown area’s bustling commerce that has captured the region’s attention.

“In spite of the current economy and a winter fire that caused damage to a few local businesses, the town of Cambridge is flourishing,” said Dave Harp, president of the Cambridge Main Street board of directors. “New shops, galleries and restaurants have combined to bring a unique flavor to our community. Through facade improvements, enhanced lighting and upgrades to our local infrastructure, Cambridge has been transformed into a vibrant, inviting place for both residents and visitors.”

Members of the local community are playing a vital role in area’s transformation as well. Brett Summers, a local developer affiliated with NOVO Development, has been instrumental in the revitalization program, purchasing and restoring a number of historic buildings to their original splendor. The nearby Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, a 400-room, luxury resort that opened five years ago along the Choptank River, has provided a boost to the local economy and attracted a steady stream of visitors to the Cambridge waterfront, within a mile of downtown. As a result, the town of Cambridge is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists and day-trippers from throughout the region.

In recent years, Cambridge has welcomed numerous boutique shops and impressive galleries, run by “locals” as well as entrepreneurs who chose to relocate to Cambridge to launch their dream businesses. The Maris Elaine Gallery, owned by Terri Hartwell Easter, a former a CFO of a Washington, D.C. law firm, features an eclectic array of fine art and home furnishings that attracts residents of the Eastern Shore as well as visitors from Baltimore, Washington, D.C, Philadelphia, Richmond and beyond. A Few of My Favorite Things, a shop that features a wide assortment of specialty chocolates, cheeses and wines, was opened in Cambridge by Carol Levy, a Philadelphia native and an advocate of historic preservation and restoration. The long-awaited Avé Hair Studios & Spa, run by Cambridge resident Elizabeth Miskell, is set to open in its new, expanded location in spring 2008 and will feature a full-service Aveda spa.

In addition to FAB shopping, Cambridge now boasts a vibrant and fast-growing art scene. The 447 Studios and Gallery, a cooperative gallery featuring promising young Eastern Shore artists whose dramatic exhibit space is housed in the same historic building as their working studios, is open to the public during select hours. The Main Street Gallery, a new gallery space set to open in summer 2008, will feature rotating exhibits of work by the area’s top painters and photographers, along with performances and events. The Dorchester Arts Center will move into a newly renovated building this fall, tripling its size and expanding its offering of exhibits, classes and performances.

The restaurant scene in Cambridge is also in on the  revival. Last spring, 27-year-old Culinary Institute of America graduate Ian Campbell returned home to open the successful Bistro Poplar, a restaurant featuring French fare with an infusion of Eastern Shore flavors. Canvasback Restaurant & Pub, an upscale, full-service Irish pub and dining establishment, has also flourished in the picturesque Main Street setting. Two more restaurants are expected to open later this year in buildings owned by Summers. Bella Luna, a popular Italian restaurant near St. Michaels, Md., has chosen downtown Cambridge for its second location. Also scheduled for a 2008 opening is an as-yet unnamed American bistro offering steaks, salads, and wood-fired pizzas. Two other downtown buildings are currently undergoing renovations into restaurant spaces.

Cambridge is one of many communities across the United States that have adopted the Main Street model, a framework for revitalizing historic downtowns and transforming them into key facets of a community’s economy. In the 30 years since the Main Street program has been in place in the United States, communities have seen an average ten-year growth of approximately 70 new businesses and 250 new jobs, with nearly $16 million reinvested into the community. The board of Cambridge Main Street expects similar long-term growth as word spreads of the town’s dynamic revitalization.

About Cambridge Main Street
Since its 2003 designation as an official Maryland Main Street community, Cambridge Main Street has become home to more than a dozen new restaurants and businesses, including favorites such as Bistro Poplar, Canvasback Restaurant & Pub, A Few of My Favorite Things, Sunnyside, Dragonfly and the Dorchester Arts Center. Located in the heart of the Eastern Shore, the Main Street community is also known for the wide range of events held there throughout the year, including the Groove City Jazz and Blues Festival, the Taste of Cambridge Crab Cook-Off and the Summer Send-Off beer and wine festival. For more information on Cambridge Main Street, please call 410-228-0020 or visit www.cambridgemainstreet.com.

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