kingston

Upcoming Event: Open Farms Harvest

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I often talk about how lucky Kingstonians are to have such an incredible farm-to-table experience within arm’s reach. So many of our local restaurants support our local farmers and together they create incredible food experiences! What better way to celebrate these delicious collaborations than the upcoming Open Farms Harvest event on Oct 2, 1:00pm-4:30pm. It is being held inside City Hall as well as at Springer Market Square, “Local chefs will be preparing local food grown from within rural Kingston and the surrounding Frontenac County to experience and learn where every ingredient on your plate comes from. There will also be craft beer from local breweries, wine tastings from Prince Edward County and Niagara wineries, as well as education seminars, chef demonstrations, and the chance to hear firsthand from farmers about the food they produce.”

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Keep up with Kingston Turns 7! 7 Reasons “Kingston Isn’t Boring Anymore”

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This month marks the 7 year anniversary since I moved back to Kingston and began this blog. I can’t believe how time flies! In the last seven years, I’ve had three jobs in this city, we’ve grown our family by two and I’ve started a Masters program to name just a few things. In that time, this blog has put me in touch with so many incredible people, local businesses and unique opportunities.

Although it’s always been a side project, it has enriched our lives in more ways than I can count. The point of starting the blog was to convince myself that Kingston is a happening place and far from the sleepy town I remembered and fled from as a young adult. I hoped that sharing the positive and diving into our community would give me a new appreciation for its beauty. And it worked! I only share positive experiences and specifically focus on small, local business and as a result I attract positive energy. Bonus: I’m often given a heads up on many of the fun things happening around town. This community is so supportive and if you put yourself out there, it’s very easy to find your people. For those of you who have been following along, thank you so much for reading and sharing my content! I appreciate you.

Local artist and founder of collective, ForWorld Studios, Francisco Corbett, has coined this phrase “Kingston Isn’t Boring Anymore” and put it on T-shirts that he sells in very small rollouts. I love this phrase so much because I 100% agree. Perhaps it’s because I actively look for the fun or that it has changed significantly over the years – regardless, I see such a difference over the last decade! Maybe a mixture of perspective and progress?

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Updated: Kingstonlicious Menus Have Something for Everyone

Tango Nuevo Kingstonlicious Menu items
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Please note that this post has been updated to include menu updates and additional menu options from new
restaurants!

Generally speaking, there’s not much to do these days but eat, walk and nap. Lockdown life is lame, yes. But Kingston restaurants are trying to make the best of it and offering up some delicious, pre-fixe menus to accommodate all needs: Want a romantic, hot dinner for two? They’ve got it. Want a family meal? No problem. Vegan? There’s something for you. Prefer to take and bake? You see where this is going. The nice thing about the menu options is that the theme is ‘healthy choices’ so it’s very in line with many new year’s resolutions to ditch junk food and pack in the nutrients.

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Kingston’s Community-Curated Local Holiday Shopping List

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After I shared the original Holiday Shopping Guide, I did a call out in my Instagram stories to ask which local shops I missed. Our community is so passionate about supporting small business, the list grew and grew! After a very scientific (cough, an instagram poll,  cough ) asking if I should turn the community-curated list on Instagram into an official post, the response was yes. So, here it is. This list is a collection of community suggestions to continue shopping local. I discovered many new gems! Thank you to everyone who sent along their favourite spots. I can keep updating once a week with new shops if you have any recommendations. Share them in the comments.  Continue reading →

Kingston’s Local Holiday Shopping Guide, 2020 Edition

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2020 has been a real shitshow, amiright? Consider how hard it’s been for our local business owners that depend on local tourism and foot traffic. If you have a favourite local shop or restaurant and they are still surviving this pandemic, there is no better time to celebrate them than supporting them this holiday season. Lots of these businesses have gone online this year so no need to go out in the cold, just visit their websites and social pages and click a few buttons to order your gifts. You can find many of the vendors I mention at the Kingston Holiday Market, they ship and have items available for a safe pick up! If you’re looking to support Black-owned businesses this holiday, please take a look at this working list!  Update: *Note: the Holiday market is closed for this season. Check out Artisan Made Co  for more local makers! For a list curated from community suggestions, check out, “Community Curated Local Holiday Shopping List“

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Local Closet Organizer, Popped Closet, is Here For You

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closet organizer

I’ve got a confession to make. I am a very messy person! I try on a bunch of different outfits before leaving the house and don’t put back the rejected blouses and skirts. My closet typically resembles some sort of clothes monster with unhung dresses and and trousers pooling on the floor. It’s not a great situation. But that all that changed this weekend! Is it too late in 2020 to use #newyearnewme? Closet organizer, Jocelyn, of Popped Closet came over and turned my closet into a space my mom would be proud of. Jocelyn is new to Kingston and she brings this magical skill of transforming cluttered spaces and turning them into soothing, organized, colour-coated dreams. And all without judgement. Just kindness, enthusiasm and efficiency. I can’t stress that enough! Continue reading →

Kingston’s Local Holiday Shopping Guide

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I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Kingston is filled with talented artists and makers. And there is no better time of year to celebrate them then right now. It can be really easy to just hit up Amazon Prime and have the gifts delivered to our doorstep but there is also an opportunity to engage with our local entrepreneurs. As you finish up shopping for your loved ones, consider supporting someone from our community. You can find some of the vendors I mention at the Kingston Holiday Market on weekends and many of them sell online as well!  Continue reading →

Venture into Kingston’s Brand New Co-Working Space

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Co-working spaces are becoming more and more common as more people decide to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits and launch small businesses. These spaces fill a niche, by providing a place that offers more than a home office can as well as a community of like-minded people.

There is a new co-working space in Kingston, Venture Club, offering that and more. The new space on the corner of Queen Street and Barrie offers reception service, printing services, meeting rooms, fast internet in full furnished spaces to those looking to rent an office space. Continue reading →

Q&A: Luther Wright and Colleen Brown of Major Love

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Major Love is the moniker of Canadian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Colleen Brown. They will be performing as a part of Skeleton Park Arts Festival this Saturday! In honour of their upcoming performance, read about the band’s latest album, learn who Colleen considers to be her guitar heroes as well as her advice for budding musicians in the interview below with fellow beloved musician and this year’s SPAF host, Luther Wright. 

Luther Wright: This is not your first time playing the festival but you have since settled in the area.  How are you enjoying being part of the Kingston arts/music scene? Continue reading →

Immerse Yourself in Peace and Quiet at Kingston’s West End Float Spa

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Let me preface this post by sharing that I am terrible at floating in big bodies of water. I tend to tense up and don’t find it calming in the slightest. When Immerse Spa opened, the person in me who loves trying new health trends loved this concept and the other person in me who panics in deep water was not really down. I was conflicted. But the more I read about the health benefits, the more intrigued I was to give it a try.

If you haven’t heard of Immerse Spa (located on Gardiners road) yet, let me share a few details with you. First, it’s locally owned (#supportlocal), and the concept is that an hour floating in the 7 x 4 foot epsom salt bath dome will rejuvenate you to the equivalent of a 4-6 hour sleep and help melt away stress. It also helps detoxify the body, increases blood circulation and helps manage chronic pain, among other benefits. Sounds pretty good, right? I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to give it a try. Here, I share my experience with you. Continue reading →