Residents say newer stores and restaurants are responsible for drawing a thirtysomething crowd. Almost everyone agrees that restaurants like Jae's Cafe, the East Coast Grill and The Druid, an Irish pub, attract young professionals.

"More people are moving in from outside Cambridge and even Boston. It used to be a real local kind of place and now it's more desirable for young people." Murray says.

"We get a lot of regulars, mostly twentyish to fortyish," adds Ken E. Goodman, manager of the East Coast Grill. "We've got a board in the kitchen with the name of the regulars on it--our star list. We send them free food, we know where they sit, who they are. [Cambridge mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72] is a regular customer--he digs the collard greens. We always send him a free dessert or something just to acknowledge his presence. It's such a small restaurant that I can see everybody from the kitchen."

The changing character of the neighborhood is apparent from the community bulletin board: "We're looking for a creative, community-minded person who values good communication" says one notice for a roommate. Pastel papers proclaim the merits of Meditation Week activities and Seventh Heaven's Therapeutic Body-work.

The older people pass away, the younger have moved out...now there's a more diverse clientele that's filled the gap.  --Bob Wheeler, restaurant owner

Community Spirit

While diversification and commercialization prove fatal to some neighborhoods, this is not the case at Inman. Here, local businesses often encourage, rather than hinder, community cooperation.

"There was a big fire down the street two weeks ago, and 15 or 16 businesses got together and provided a relief fund and had a big potluck dinner," Wolf says.

"We raised $10,000 in cash, plus clothing and food--neighbor after neighbor after neighbor came by 1369 to ask if they could help. When people want to help, they come here to find out how," he adds.

Residents are quick to say that everyone gets along. "We all really support each other," Wolf says.

Looking out of the window, this seems true. Two teens with elaborate hairdos and gum-cracking grins joke in Spanish with a Black man. An Asian man and woman disappear into Ryles' Jazz Bar. A lesbian couple chats with the local cop.

And people stop in at House of Sarah Books to see Emily, the warm grey cat, as much as they come in to buy books, according to salesperson Everett B. Rand.

Competition for customers hasn't damaged cooperation among Inman entrepreneurs at all. House of Sarah Books enthusiastically endorses New Words, a feminist bookstore, to shoppers, and everyone seems to recommend stopping at 1369 for latte.

"When Jae's moved in a year ago, it hurt our business a little but there's no animosity at all," Goodman says. "There's a sign up on the door of Jae's which says 'Eat at Jae's and live forever,' so we put up our own sign, 'Eat BBQ and die happy,' as a joke. We borrow plastic wrap from each other."

The genuine camaraderie among businesses makes the well-worn square a pleasant and convenient place to live, residents say.