Shop Local

My Favourite Kingston Take and Bake Spots

beef patty Munchy guru
~ keepupwithkingston ~ Leave a comment

I typically love to cook but over the course of the pandemic, I’ve realized that I don’t actually like it that much. Before having our daughter we could just grab a bowl of cereal in a crunch but parenthood means full status adulting has kicked in and thinking of balanced meals 24/7 is not really that fun haha. Enter, the take and bake! With another lockdown in full swing, I’m sure many will be drained from cooking holiday meals and when the leftovers run out, might not want to take to the kitchen for long durations! These are a few spots around town that offer great local take and bake options. Many of these places curate their ingredients locally and the dishes are made in-house so there are less preservatives which is always great! Perfect way to support our local businesses through another challenging time. Check out my list! I know I’ve likely missed some, feel free to share your favourites in the comment section!

Bella Market: I like the curried chickpeas and the beef madras! They also have curry sauces, pulled pork, soups and more tasty options.

Union Market: Only recently checked them out but enjoyed the chicken pot pie – it wasn’t cream based and I like that about it!

Go Italian: My husband and daughter love the cheese tortellini! They also have lasagna (veg and beef), rigatoni sausage and peppers, rigatoni with parmesan and meatballs. Continue reading →

Kingston’s Local Holiday Shopping Guide

~ keepupwithkingston ~ 4 Comments


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 →

#DKShopfest Feature: Fancy That/Roundstone Owner Maria Cronk

~ keepupwithkingston ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve found yourself at the corner of Princess and King street in the past 20 years or so, you’ve likely stopped in to clothing stores Fancy That or Roundstone. These shops are a staple of Kingston’s downtown and where you’ll find great deals on June 16 as downtown Kingston celebrates DKShopfest. DKShopfest is a day dedicated to celebrating and supporting our locally owned shops while scoring great deals. I wanted to learn a little more about Fancy That owner, Maria Cronk. She was kind enough to answer a few questions via email. Read below to learn how Fancy That started and what Maria loves most about being a Kingston shop owner.

Keep up with Kingston: Please share how Fancy That started? How many years have you been open?

Maria Cronk: Fancy That Group started in 1974 by Inger Sparring (my mother) in Brockville, ON. We started as one small store in Brockville, ON and grew over the years. At one point we had nine stores across Eastern Ontario! Now, we have two stores in downtown Kingston (Fancy That & the Roundstone) and one store in Brockville (Limestone & Ivy). IN 1979, my brother, Dan, joined in the business, he runs our store in Brockville, and I joined in 1985 to run the Kingston stores.

We came to downtown Kingston in May 1985 with Fancy That. Continue reading →

Shop Local: Kingston’s Holiday Markets

~ keepupwithkingston ~ 1 Comment
kari-shea-177412
Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

The countdown to Christmas is officially on and this is the perfect time to share all of the goodness that Kingston’s makers have to offer. Thanks to a few very festive markets
— you can easily support local and treat loved ones this season. Scroll down to see where you can find your locally sourced Christmas gifts.

Kingston Holiday Market – 274 Princess Street – Saturday, November 18th (Open for 6 weekends)
From locally made chocolate and jewelry to bath products, furniture and more! Some of my favourite Kingston makers will be here!
Keep up on Instagram: @kingstonholidaymarket
Continue reading →

Bella Gets a Market!

~ keepupwithkingston ~ Leave a comment

I’ve told you about how much I love burger nights at Bella Bistro. I don’t just love their delicious house made burgers but just about everything Bella has to offer. They do their best to support local farmers by using companies like Wendy’s Mobile Market and Enright Cattle Company to make their meals super fresh!

And believe it or not, visits to Bella just got even better because they’ve introduced a market. This is exactly what the west end needs. A space curated for the on-the-go food lover who needs to pick up a ready-made dinner on their way home among other great offerings. Continue reading →