At WardMap’s in Cambridge, one can find a map of ‘Camberville’

Not everyone in Cambridge or Somerville feels at home in “Camberville.”

The portmanteau of the two cities’ names, which dubs the duo of locales across the river from Boston as a place unto itself, has been controversial for as long as anyone can remember hearing it. Some love it. Some can’t stand it. Plenty wish it would simply go away.

Not Steven Beaucher, owner of Cambridge’s famed memorabilia emporium WardMaps, and an expert on such things.

A historic map of Cambridge and Somerville at WardMaps.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

“I think it’s cool,” said Beaucher, who has had his shop on Massachusetts Avenue since 2008 and published a book on Boston transit maps in 2020. “I love place, and I love naming, so I’m OK with how things evolve. I think that’s interesting. Yeah, sometimes when things get made up not everyone’s gonna jump on board and love it.”

That hasn’t stopped him from leaning into it. Walk through his shop — where, he said, “we celebrate the history of place” — and you’ll find plenty of pieces of artwork and memorabilia for those who consider both cities their home, and embrace the name.

In one framed “Camberville” piece made by a local artist that’s available for purchase, the footprints of both cities hover over a rainbow flag. A black-and-white print made in-house shows a city plan map of both cities atop the word “Camberville” in all caps.

Visitors can also pick up a map that dates to 1905 and, although it doesn’t use the “Camberville” name, depicts the two cities together.

“It’s the only antique map that we’ve ever had that shows both Cambridge and Somerville and it’s formatted explicitly for those cities,” Beaucher said. It’s very popular.

WardMaps owner Steven Beaucher posed for a portrait at his Massachusetts Avenue shop this month.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Elsewhere, you can find realistic mock-ups of MBTA signage and maps you would find at a “Camberville” T stop, if such a thing existed. They’re available in both Red- and Green-line varieties.

Clearly there’s a market for those who identify with both cities and want their home or office décor to reflect that. But not everyone’s thrilled to see the name so well represented here.

“I’ve heard many a snicker, like, ‘What is this rebranding? Are there real estate agents involved?’ ” he said.

An artist's interpretation of "Camberville" was displayed at WardMaps.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

WardMaps doesn’t just sell Camberville merch, of course. Hundreds of maps of all styles, sizes, and colors can be found here — from the Boston area, from New York, and from cities around the world. Historic artifacts, collectibles, photographs, T-shirts, baby clothes, magnets, and all sorts of ephemera related in some way to the Boston area or public transportation are tucked into every corner.

His shop is also the home of MBTAgifts, the official dealer of both decommissioned MBTA signage and MBTA-branded gifts, and has an agreement with the transit agency that allows it to get creative (hence the made-up “Camberville” signs).

One thing he does not sell, even though some Somerville residents have said they’d prefer the term over “Camberville” any day, is anything that says “Somerbridge.”

Although that mash-up of Somerville and Cambridge is just as plausible, it’s simply not as much of a thing, he said.

“I think Camberville has now just become part of the lexicon,” Beaucher said. “It has stuck.”

A mock MBTA sign for “Camberville.”Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Spencer Buell can be reached at spencer.buell@globe.com. Follow him @SpencerBuell.

For locals, ‘Camberville’ can be divisive. This store puts it on the map.

The name for Cambridge and Somerville has never sat well with some locals. But it’s right at home in this emporium where they celebrate the “history of place.”