The year’s Inman Eats & Crafts street fair is set for noon to 4 p.m. May 17, setting up on Cambridge Street in Inman Square between Springfield and Prospect streets.
Called a celebration of everything Inman Square – “eclectic retailers, fabulous makers, our casual eats and culinary treats” – the event has its origins shortly before the East Cambridge Business Association merged in 2017 with the Inman Square Business Association. It’s become another of the ECBA’s reliable rotation of must-attend events in a square known for it’s all-local, ground-level vibe, where the coffee shop opened in 1993 and the hardware store’s been open since 1975. (And the S&S Delicatessen has been serving since 1919.)
It’s a point of pride that what’s dished out at the street fair is from “only members,” said Jason Alves, executive director of the ECBA, though that roster includes more than 150 businesses. “We’re up against the fact that there’s is only so much space when you close down the street.”
The year’s festivities will look familiar, including the live music programmed by The Lilypad; a beer garden with brews from Lamplighter, Portico and Remnant; and a Handmade Marketplace organized by the Gather Here stitch lounge that brings together more than 45 local makers in East Cambridge Savings Bank and Industry Labs parking lots. There will also be live T-shirt printing with QRST’s and crafts with Blue Mouse Gallery and Rock & Roll Daycare.
Of course an event centerpiece is the food samples offered by restaurant vendors, including 1369 Coffee House, An Sibin, Christina’s Ice Cream, Formaggio, Hot Chix, New Republik, Oak Bistro, Puritan Oyster Bar and S&S Delicatessen. “You usually leave pretty satisfied and full,” Alves said. “You get your money’s worth.”
Visitors pay “Inman Bucks” to try the food, but availability is limited, so advanced purchase of the Bucks is recommended at EastCambridgeBA.com starting Monday. Some Inman Bucks will also sell the day of the event, and Inman Square shops and restaurants will be open for business as usual.
After Eats & Crafts in spring comes Le Gran Prix Elmendorf du Pain in summer, the Smoke This Rib Fest as summer turns to fall, Inmanween in October and finally the Inman Holiday Market. The predictable pace of signature ECBA events has been effective, Alves said, despite their differences: Eats & Crafts has a flow of people all day long, for instance, while “for Rib Fest, we see people kind of hunker down.”
“All of these events that we do get great feedback. People were telling me the other day that the Gran Prix, which one is one of the newer ones, is one of their best brunch Sundays – not just inside the area of the event but on the periphery. People come in, they check out the event and go out to some of the surrounding businesses,” Alves said. “Inmanween is not as big production-wise, but if you walk around the square, like every restaurant seat is full. It means our events are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.”
Inman Eats & Crafts run from noon to 4 p.m. May 17 on Cambridge Street in Inman Square, between Springfield and Prospect streets. Open to all ages and pets.
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