Kingston Market

What Kingston Market does

Kingston Public Market is a municipally operated physical marketplace located at Springer Market Square, at the intersection of King Street and Brock Street in downtown Kingston, Ontario. It is marketed as the oldest and longest-running public market in Ontario, with continuous operations on a fixed three-day-per-week schedule (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays) year-round, with seasonal hours adjusted between April 1 to October 31 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and November 1 to March 31 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The market serves local Kingston residents and visitors seeking fresh, locally produced goods in a community gathering setting.

The offering is structured around three vendor categories: Agriculture and Food (fresh produce, dairy, honey, and preserves from local farms), Artisans (handcrafted goods and gifts), and Casual Vendors (a rotating selection of occasional artisans, makers, and small businesses). Vendors participate through Seasonal Producer, Seasonal Artisan, or Casual Vendor programs and lease stalls on either a full-season or per-day basis. All food vendors must clear Public Health approval under Ontario Regulations 562/Food Premises, and the market is governed by a Public Market Bylaw under the authority of the Corporation of the City of Kingston.

Kingston Public Market generates revenue exclusively through stall leasing. Seasonal stall fees for the 2026 season range from $463.50 to $1,001.59 CAD depending on stall row and parking inclusion, while casual one-day vendors pay $32.74 (produce) or $53.32 (craft) CAD per day plus HST. The market has no e-commerce, digital ordering, or technology platform component; promotion is limited to organic Facebook and Instagram activity and the City of Kingston website. The operation is run as a municipal Activities and Recreation program alongside Memorial Centre Farmers' Market and Katarokwi Indigenous Market, with no external investors, funding rounds, or corporate parent beyond the City of Kingston.

Name

Kingston Market

Legal name

The Corporation of the City of Kingston

Website

https://kingstonpublicmarket.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kingston Public Market is the oldest public market in Ontario, operated by the City of Kingston at Springer Market Square. It leases physical stalls three days per week to local producers, artisans, and casual vendors selling fresh food and handcrafted goods to the Kingston community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Farmers Market

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230), Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA)

Keywords

• Public farmers market
• Vendor stall leasing
• Fresh local produce
• Artisanal craft market
• Municipal marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Vendor Stall Leasing: The Kingston Public Market generates revenue by leasing market stalls to vendors. Fees vary by stall location (first row, second row, third row) and type (seasonal vs casual). Seasonal vendors commit to the full operating season and pay annual fees, while casual vendors pay per-day rates. Fees are subject to HST.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kingston Public Market operates a physical public marketplace at Springer Market Square in downtown Kingston, Ontario, leasing market stalls to local vendors who sell fresh produce, dairy, honey, preserves, baked goods, plants, cut flowers, and handcrafted artisanal goods directly to consumers. The market is open three days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays) year-round with seasonal hours and operates under a Public Market Bylaw administered by the City of Kingston.

Product overview

Kingston Public Market is a single physical marketplace operated by the City of Kingston, not a technology platform. The market operates through three vendor categories: Agriculture and Food (fresh produce, dairy, honey, preserves from local farms), Artisans (handcrafted goods and gifts), and Casual Vendors (rotating selection of occasional vendors). Vendors participate through seasonal programs (Seasonal Producers, Seasonal Artisans) or the Casual Vendors Program. The market also offers stall leasing at Springer Market Square with various pricing tiers based on location. There is no software product, digital platform, or technology offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Agriculture and Food: Vendors selling fresh produce, dairy, honey, and preserves from local farms.
• Artisans
• Casual Vendors

Products and services

• Seasonal Stall Leasing Annual subscription-based rental of physical stall space at Springer Market Square for vendors who commit to the full market season. Pricing is tiered by stall location and type, ranging from $463.50 to $1,001.59 CAD per season plus HST. Available to Seasonal Producers (farmers and food vendors) and Seasonal Artisans (handcrafted goods creators).
• Casual One-Day Stall Rental Pay-as-you-go one-day stall rental for vendors who participate on an occasional, non-seasonal basis. Produce vendors pay $32.74 CAD per day and craft vendors pay $53.32 CAD per day, plus HST. Open to artisans, makers, and small businesses that do not commit to the full season.
• Seasonal Producer Program Vendor participation program for local farmers, growers, and food producers who grow or raise their own agricultural products within a specified local area, or resell fresh produce sourced from regional farms. Seasonal Producers commit to selling at the market for the entire season and pay annual seasonal stall fees.
• Seasonal Artisan Program Vendor participation program for creators of handcrafted goods such as arts and crafts who commit to participating in the market for the full selling season. Seasonal Artisans pay annual seasonal stall fees and occupy stalls alongside Seasonal Producers at Springer Market Square.
• Casual Vendors Program Vendor participation program for artisans, makers, and small businesses that participate on an occasional basis rather than committing to the full season. Includes both casual producers and casual artisans; casual artisan applications undergo a jury process and casual producer applications undergo Public Health review, with processing taking 2–3 weeks. Vendors pay per-day stall fees.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jean-Talon Market: Large public farmers' market in Montreal operated under the public markets authority, featuring fresh local produce, flowers, and specialty foods. Comparable to Kingston Public Market as a public-sector-supported farmers' marketplace in a Canadian urban core.
• Granville Island Public Market: Year-round indoor public market in Vancouver operated by a federal Crown corporation, featuring fresh produce, prepared foods, and artisan vendors. Comparable to Kingston Public Market as a publicly-operated heritage marketplace for local food and craft vendors.
• Memorial Centre Farmers' Market: Sister farmers' market also operated by the City of Kingston's Activities and Recreation department. Most direct intra-portfolio comparable given shared ownership, governance, vendor application framework, and shopper demographic in Kingston.
• St. Lawrence Market: Iconic public market in downtown Toronto featuring fresh produce, artisan foods, and crafts across multiple days per week. Comparable to Kingston Public Market as a municipally-promoted heritage public marketplace hosting local farmers and artisans.
• ByWard Market: Historic public market district in Ottawa operated by the City of Ottawa, hosting farmers, food vendors, and artisans. Comparable to Kingston Public Market as a city-managed outdoor public market with seasonal vendor stalls and heritage positioning.
• Hamilton Farmers' Market: One of Ontario's oldest continuously operating farmers' markets, now operating across two city-owned locations. Comparable to Kingston Public Market as an Ontario-based municipal public market with vendor stall leasing and heritage positioning.
• Katarokwi Indigenous Market: Indigenous-led farmers and artisan market also operated by the City of Kingston under the same municipal division. Comparable to Kingston Public Market in operating model and City governance structure, but differentiated by its Indigenous vendor focus.

Others

• Farmers' Markets Ontario: Provincial association supporting Ontario's farmers' markets with training, promotion, and a shared market directory. Adjacent peer to Kingston Public Market as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, relevant for understanding Ontario market dynamics.

Regional players

• Ottawa Farmers' Market: Producer-only farmers' market with multiple locations across Ottawa on different days of the week. Comparable to Kingston Public Market in vendor mix and product categories, but operates in a different regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Greenmarkets (GrowNYC): Network of over 50 producer-only farmers' markets across New York City operated by a non-profit with municipal partnership. Comparable to Kingston Public Market as a network of multi-day public farmers' markets, but at significantly larger scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/officialkingstonpublicmarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/kingstonpublicmarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kingston-market

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kingston Market