From 1801 onwards, the square behind Kingston City Hall has been home to a bustling public market. The Kingston Public Market is the longest-running market in Ontario. For 220 years and counting, the market has brought people together-the beating heart of the limestone city. From April to November, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, you can find local producers and artisans at their booths – stocked and ready to greet visitors. Here are some of the vendors you’ll find at the Kingston Public Market.
FOOD VENDORS
Henderson Farms
Selling prize-winning jams, jellies, and marmalades handcrafted on their farm on Wolfe Island, this three-generation family business has a must–visit booth at the market. Henderson Farms offers over 58 varieties of jarred goods with enticing flavors like dandelion wine, ginger, elderberry, and rhubarb. Their pear and raspberry jam was voted best in Canada at Toronto’s Royal Agriculture Winter Fair, and the rest of their assorted jams have earned them numerous accolades. They also offer freshly baked goods that are vegan, gluten-free, and prepared in a nut-free kitchen.
Vader’s Maple Syrup
Since 1910, the Vader family has been producing maple syrup on their local farm in Prince Edward County, less than 100 km away. Their products, ranging from decadent syrups to maple sugars, butters, and jellies are all hand–crafted and harvested, making Vader’s a single-source producer. They also offer a whisky barrel–aged dark maple syrup, their most popular item and of course, bestselling classic amber and dark maple syrups. Using heritage techniques on their over 3,000 tap farm, the Vader family business brings you quality syrup straight from their maple bush.
Simple Country Pleasures
Simple Country Pleasures is a family–owned and operated business, running since 1985. Owner Lisa offers quality annuals, hanging baskets, planters, and unique perennials. Her stall also has locally grown organic and heirloom produce as well as outsourced goods from all over Ontario. Try some of her local corn, fresh blueberries from Sudbury, and other delicious fruits and vegetables from the Niagara, Toronto, and Picton regions.
Wilson Apiaries
Since 1984, the Wilsons have been bringing their home-harvested honey to the Kingston Public Market. With over 200 bee colonies and decades of experience in beekeeping, their family farm has grown into a multi-generational business. Their stall is always lined with jars of honey, fresh flowers, candles, and beeswax hand–creams–made with a 60–year–old recipe. Stop to smell their fresh lilies and pick out one of their many varieties of authentic golden honey, harvested only 90 km away.
Baycrest Farms
Baycrest Farms in Prince Edward County has been part of the Kingston Public Market since the 1970s. Owner Chris Ackerman grew up helping his mother run the stall. He prides himself on providing local food to the Kingston community, grown on Ontarian soil. Baycrest Farms sells apples and other Ontario fruit, as well as greenhouse-grown vegetables, apple cider, and flower bouquets.
ARTISANS
I.V.’s Crafts
In 1993, Iggy started crafting as a hobby. After retiring from his successful military career in 1995, he joined the public market and has been happily selling his quirky creations ever since. His stall is always full of a wide array of oddities made of repurposed materials. Working with wood, resin, bottlecaps, silverware, coins and more, Iggy’s work is motley and memorable with a little something for everyone. He enjoys what he does; it “keeps me out of my wife’s hair,” he says and he hopes to do it for another 10 to15 years. His wife, Vera, the V in “I.V.” also likes to craft, creating jewelry out of beads, buttons, and other repurposed materials.
Limestone Succulents
Passionate about the art of propagation and the durable nature of succulents, Angela is the smiling face you’ll meet at her booth “Limestone Succulents.” Displayed at her stall, you’ll find pastel-coloured plants of many varieties, beautifully arranged in equally colourful pots. The plant pots are sourced from a friend’s workshop in Toronto, and the wooden display stands from another market vendor. Angela also makes larger gift plant arrangements by commission, each one telling a story and made to order in her signature whimsical style. Bring some more life into your home with a jolly potted succulent, one that will sprout flowers even if you don’t water it.
Carolina Roja
Carolina Rojas is a creative photographer whose work is hard to miss at the market. Inspired by natural elements and textures, her photos are up-beat captures of Kingston’s iconic sights. After her husband picked up photography as a hobby, Carolina instantly took a liking to it. Her husband jokes that she surpassed him in skill. Carolina always had an artistic eye, attending fashion design school in Chile before she immigrated here 32 years ago. For Carolina, photography is more than just her business or her hobby, it’s her meditation. She sells prints, tote-bags, bookmarks, mugs, and other reproductions of her vibrant captures.
Lily Mooncat
Lesley Jardine, operating under the trademark Lily Mooncat, has participated in the public market for 15 years. She sells hand-made natural candles, soaps, body products, and hand-crafted jewelry. Her hand-made candles come in many scents and varieties, made with natural coconut wax, soy, and essential oils. Lesley’s candles are phthalate–free (meaning they contain no harmful chemicals or fragrances) and use wooden wicks that crackle when they burn. All her product ingredients and materials are sourced from Ontario. Her latest jelly candles preserve flowers sourced from another public market vendor.
Rox Rock Shop
Find a treasure trove of crystals, mineral specimens, tumbled stones, jewelry, gemstones, fossils, and decorative rocks at Rox’s Rock Shop. Running for 25 years, this booth specializes in local, Canadian, and Southwest American rocks. Its owners do all the polishing, cutting, and tumbling themselves. Stop by and take in the glittering stones.
The Windmill of Provence Pottery
Every Saturday at the market, you’ll notice a signature yellow booth pop-up. Inside the stall you’ll find hand-crafted mugs, plates, pots, bowls and other porcelain clay creations. Isabella Duc, the artist behind it all, has been coming to the public market from her studio on Wolfe Island since 2016. Isabella’s work is reflective of her background: she immigrated from France 32 years ago and studied art at a university in Versailles. Isabella loves meeting customers and has been involved with numerous craft shows and festivals over the past 30 years. Stop by her stall and admire her authentic, free-hand painted pottery collection.
Marian Maple & The Stonecutter
Since 2003, Marian has been coming to the public market to sell her metal work creations, fine crafts, and paintings. Following in the footsteps of her father – whose metal sculptures can be found dotted about the city, Marian works creatively with metal, copper, and enamel to create jewelry, and other unique items. It was at this public market that she met Dave Blair –The Stonecutter – another rock and craft enthusiast, and her future husband. Dave, an instructor and foreman at the Kingston Lapidary & Mineral Club, would sell his rock jewelry and silversmithing work at his booth under the name The Stonecutter. Now they run their booths together and have joined creative forces in crafting fine jewelry out of both rock, stone, metal, tin, and copper materials.
ShemRod
Stop by Mehry Afnan’s glittering booth where she offers her fused–glass and stained–glass creations. Made by hand in her studio, each of her unique decorative pieces are individually cut, designed, and put together with love. Mehry creates hanging glass ornaments, framed arrangements, earrings, bracelets, pendants, and rings. By fusing multiple layers of glass into one, Mehry creates unique necklace pendants that shimmer and change colour in the sun.
Not every vendor has an online presence, so the very best way to get to know them is to come out and meet them for yourself. Become a part of a 220+ year Kingston tradition and come out to the Kingston Public Market today.
Other activities in Market Square
Every Sundays June 2 through September 22, the square is also host to the Indigenous Market. Come by Springer Market Square between 10 am and 2 pm to meet the vendors and enjoy food and crafts.
Visitors can also rock out to live music concerts, watch free movies throughout the summer, and skate in the square in the winter. Visit Downtown Kingston to learn about upcoming activities in the square.
