Dr. Marquis Victor walked to the front of the room before a single data slide hit the screen. That was the choice. That was the message. Last Thursday, June 11, roughly 500 people gathered at Endicott College for ECCF‘s State of Essex County 2026 — nonprofit leaders, elected officials, donors, and business owners. Before anyone read a statistic, Marquis —

We grabbed our cameras and headed to the Point this June — and watched Eternal October Salem take a big step. The city’s only Black-owned alternative brand cut the ribbon on its new storefront inside North Shore CDC’s retail pop-up incubator at 104 Lafayette Street. A pink ribbon, oversized scissors, neighbors packed into the mural-covered courtyard, pizza and cold drinks

Why simply Showing Up Is The Best Thing We Can Do The average American now spends 35 minutes a day socializing in person. Not 35 minutes with friends, specifically — 35 minutes with another human being, in a shared room, breathing the same air. That number is down from 38 minutes in 2019, and it never recovered after the pandemic

Arts and culture aren’t separate from tourism. Tourism isn’t separate from arts and culture. They are integrated, and in Massachusetts communities like Beverly, that integration is driving real economic growth – more visitors, more spending, more jobs, and a stronger local identity. I’ve been saying this for years. A few weeks ago, I got to make that case on stage

The GRAYSCALE indie business summit Salem has been waiting for finally has a date. From March 31 through April 2, downtown Salem transforms into a three-day hub for creative entrepreneurs. Specifically, it’s built for indie business owners, artists, and makers who have always felt like outsiders at traditional business events. Amber Newberry and the Die With Your Boots On team

The Salem’s So Sweet festival kicked off on Friday night with a magical evening in downtown Salem, MA. Despite the cold and snow, the streets came alive with illuminated ice sculptures glowing in pink, blue, and purple lights, live saxophone music from Chagall PAC, and a warm kickoff event hosted by the Salem Chamber of Commerce. Local artisans showcased their

Author: John, Founder & Executive Director, Creative Collective I need to talk about what happened while watching the Super Bowl Halftime this year. (I had some feelings about last year, too!) This one got me all up in my feels.  If you watched Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, you saw more than a spectacle. The cameos and choreography amazed,

Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson is a podcast from Creative Collective that amplifies the voices and stories of women entrepreneurs who are members of the Creative Collective. In each episode, host Mikki Wilson sits down with a woman business owner from the Creative Collective community to explore her unique journey, what drives her, and where she’s headed next. Local economies

On Thursday morning, over 100 small business owners, nonprofit leaders, artists, and community builders packed into the basement of The Bower in Beverly. What started as a simple gathering became something much bigger. A room full of people chose connection over isolation, community over fear, and each other over going it alone. Honestly? We needed it. Why Does the Essex

Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson is a podcast from Creative Collective that amplifies the voices and stories of women entrepreneurs who are members of the Creative Collective. In each episode, host Mikki Wilson sits down with a woman business owner from the Creative Collective community to explore her unique journey, what drives her, and where she’s headed next. Local economies