2011 brought 13 new businesses, lots of building improvements, several awards, and some record-breaking achievements to downtown Cambridge. Click below for the full list! Thanks to everyone who's played a part in downtown's continuing progress—Main Street donors and volunteers, merchants, local foundations and businesses, and the community at large that supports downtown.

And the winner of the brand new iPad is . . . Bill Foxwell. In a raffle drawing on Saturday, Dec. 17, Foxwell's name was chosen from among scoresof tickets issued to folks who came into shops and restaurants to make  donations to the first-ever Downtown Food Drive sponsored by the Cambridge Seventh day Adventist Church in cooperation with Cambridge Main Street. That's Foxwell pictured here, displaying his prize in front of the family Christmas tree. Read more below...

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Old-Fashioned Christmas...Shore Style celebration on December 10. Lots of people, lots of stuff going on, lots of fun! Thanks also to our Main Street volunteers who made it all happen. See the Old-Fashioned Christmas photo album!

There’ll be a new Main Street manager on the job early next year, and Mari Stanley is eager to step into that role. “The more I learn about the position, the more excited I am,” Stanley said. “I’m thrilled by the prospect of working with the great folks involved in Main Street.”

Stanley’s hiring was announced to the Main Street Board of Directors earlier this week by President Phil Feldman. Feldman told the board that a five-person search committee felt that Stanley possessed the perfect mix of passion, people skills, and professional expertise for the position. Click below to read more.
 

The Fresh Coat Cambridge project organized this past spring by Cambridge Main Street was honored with a statewide award Oct. 31 from a network of nearly 100 nonprofit organizations around the state. The group, the Maryland ABCD Network, cited the Fresh Coat project as a model of community collaboration.

More than 120 community volunteers turned out for the event on Saturday, June 4. The event was something akin to an old-fashioned barn raising, with volunteers making physical improvements to 18 different downtown buildings in a single day. The volunteers painted entire buildings, replace cedar shingles on building facades, and conducted all manner of other repairs. “Our community really came together for Fresh Coat,” said Jim Duffy of Cambridge Main Street. “It was a truly inspiring show of love and support for our beautiful old downtown and its great businesses.”

Check out the newest additions to downtown Cambridge! The two winners of Cambridge Main Street's 2011 Pop-Up Contest are now open. The contest is helping two entrepreneurs set up new shops this holiday season through a competition in which contestants submitted business concepts to win rent-free storefronts to test out their ideas in November and December.  Bliss Jewelry & Gifts, with affordable jewelry, scarves, handbags, and more, is at 501 Poplar Street. This is a second location for the popular Bliss store in St. Michaels. A second winner, Pet Threadz,  specializes in pet products—healthy foods, unique treats, custom-made clothes, bowls, toys, and more—at 315 Gay Street, between Bliss and Bob’s Barber Shop.