Kingston is an underrated town when it comes to tourism. The 340+ year-old town is the epicenter…read morefor tours of the Thousand Islands, has the famed Fort Henry, is the hometown of Canada's first Prime Minister (John A. Macdonald), and has some of Canada's best fresh-water sailing. Luckily for the town, it has a gift shop like Waterfront to ensure one doesn't forget about this great place. First of all, we were sucked in by happenstance ... or very clever marketing ... as we had to go in the get our tickets for the Thousand Island Discovery Cruise inside the gift shop. That being said: Once you go in, there is an abundance of cool, high-quality stuff. I would hazard a guess that Waterfront has the city's best collection of Kingston-based apparel ... I draw this conclusion because since it has a deeper collection of gift-shop wares than the Kingston Visitor Info Centre (reviewed here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kingston-visitor-information-centre-kingston). Hoodies, t-shirts, glasses, mugs, hats, boxer shorts, and the rest. You'll also find plenty of nautically themed stuff from shirts to lighthouses to books to model sailboats. To call it a "gift shop" would be an insult as they have so much fancy stuff: Scrubs, soaps, candles, watches, purses, wallets, jewelry, scarves, frou-frou gift baskets, high-end greeting cards (including some that are hand-drawn), and the rest. There are several high-quality brands including the sock puppets and stuffed animals of Cate & Levi; the hemp-heavy and fair-trade fashion of Ark Imports; the beauty and personal care products of Walton Wood Farm; and the vegan, eco-friendly, and cruelty-free skincare products of Kingston's own Shiva's Delight. And, oh, don't worry: PLENTY of maple. And #2: If you're into stuffed moose, I don't think you'll find a better selection in the Great White North :) So stop in ... even if you have to!

I've been here a few times. Once before I lived in Kingston and a couple of times after I moved…read morehere. If you like silly little trinkets and memorabilia, this is the store for you! It had a bunch of Canada and Kingston merchandise since it's mostly a store for tourists, but they also have really cute/silly underwear! (For example, I bought a pair of boxers that said 'bear cheeks' with pictures of bears on the back.) They also have little toys, fridge magnets, kitchen tools, stuffed animals, etc. You get the idea! The stuff is definitely a little more expensive than what you'd find at other stores, but again, this is a store for tourists (mostly), so it makes sense that it's a tad more expensive. Overall, it's just a fun place to shop if you have some time to kill!

Context for this review: I visit a lot of character and stationery stores in Toronto. Also, I am…read morebig on customer service - the real reason for the fail rating behind this review. OK - so as I've mentioned, I frequent a lot of stores similar to this one. Some are pricey, some are awesome values. This is definitely on the pricey end of the range, so no redeeming stars to be had there. Yes, it's on the tourist trap strip, but given that they're big enough to have online sales, and that the prices were beyond what I see in Toronto, doesn't help my rating. The range of merchandise is pretty good - lots of harder to find, more unusual pieces like calligraphy collections and the like, and a few glass pen selections. Daytimer and diary selection was pretty thin. Better range of plain sketch books and one or two music book choices. For the plush character merchandise, it wasn't so great - some more recognized Pokemon characters and a lot of generic animals, fruits, etc. There's some jewellery, backpacks, etc. Not much in terms of housewares/practical items like mugs, eating ware (except for portable), boxes, etc. The store was not laid out very well and the merchandise needs to be hunted through for differing varieties of some of the items. My hindsight brings up a dark and dingy image compared to the cute and bright logo on the outside of the store. Last but not least nail in this review coffin, I was actually insulted by the staff's attitude and remark while cashing out. Not only could I sense the attitude in their down-the-nose gaze, which was chilly enough, I got the message loud and clear that working here is all about them when I made my usual request not to have the 2 pieces of receipts stapled together. "Well, our policy is that returns need them both, so I (underline, bold and capitalize that "I") need it [sic] stapled." Okay, YOU need them stapled. WE won't be back. Not in the store and won't bother looking online, either.

Midori Gifts is a purveyor of cute plushies, stationary, and fashion accessories mostly of Japanese…read moreorigin. I actually didn't see a ton of very well known branded stuffed toys (no Sanrio characters) but there were a few of the more popular Pokemon. There were a lot of different tools for journaling including an array of gel pens, stickers, and notebooks including ones with 2020 dates, diaries with flaps, and bound leather journals. They had some fashion accessories like fuzzy scarves, mittens, and hats. There were some anime statues in a display case up front but I wouldn't say that's the focus of the store. The store is really well organized and neat. There was only one associate working there when we dropped by who was industriously rearranging the shelves. She left us alone for the most part but thanked us for coming in as we left.

A Let Down. I was so excited to find this decor shop in…read moredowntown Kingston, as I prefer to shop locally instead of at big box stores. I found a great faux fiddle leaf tree and tried it out in the space I was looking to fill in my bedroom. After trying it here and several other locations I decided I wanted to return it. I called several times last week to try and make sure I would be able to return it, as this tree is about 6' tall and is very difficult to transport. I finally left a voicemail on their machine on Sunday. They got back to me on Monday saying I would need the receipt and in 15 days of purchasing. At the time I couldn't find the receipt, but went searching and found it. My boyfriend took the first part of the morning off work to help me transport it, as we both work until 6:00pm (when the store closes). When I brought it in the sale person said we also needed an additional receipt that had some 25 digit code on it. She showed us an example of one at the cash, which was stapled to the credit receipt. My receipt had no staple marks in it, and we inquired as to why mine may have not been stapled as well- also why I was not told about this particular receipt I needed. Mine says "Amanda's House of Elegance" on it and shows the price of the item. I don't think it was fair to turn us away. I must say, I was extremely disappointed in the service. This item was almost $300.00. I am clearly a potential customer that is willing to buy high end items. I would have expected better service and more willingness from the staff to satisfy the customer. Though I prefer to shop locally, I will not be returning to this store. I can't see how this business could ever compete with stores like Homesense (which has a 30 day return policy) or Pier 1 (which has a 45 day return policy) with no hassle and additionally has much more competitive pricing.

A very well organized and very clean store and in a great location DOWNTOWN Kingston! Amanda's…read moreHouse of Elegance is packed full of amazing décor........and ohhhh those pillows!! We were extremely impressed with the quality of the merchandise and how elegantly it's displayed. Simply put "A great store to purchase that special gift for that special room in your home" great for wedding gifts and Christmas shopping too!! #ShopDownTownKingston Beca & Gary Evans

Love this old-timey store! It has been here since 1865 I believe…read more So many fun food stuffs to discover here. Mostly canned/packaged goods, with some delicious local fresh cheeses near the back of the store. They also sell their own coffee (try the Kingston blend) and custom or pre-made gift baskets. They carry a huge selection of unique imported food items from legit Italian pasta to local hot sauce to candy from England. I always stop by when I am in town to pick up a neat goodie to take home ;)

Cooke's is a staple in downtown Kingston. It's a specialty food store with imports mainly from the…read moreUK. They have coffees, teas, chocolates, candies, and much more. I personally go there whenever I want to find a sweet gift for someone. You never know what you'll find. What makes the store really special is the antique feel, especially the floors that are creaky old wood (that's a good thing!) Also, the aromas when you first walk in of coffee and chocolate are amazing.

Came here for the solar eclipse. Ordered the eclipse glasses ahead of time and they handled my…read moreorder quickly upon arrival. However, when I asked where I could see it, the staff simply told us to watch it at the park outside the visitor information centre without giving us alternative locations if it got too crowded or parking spaces were full. We ended up going to the viewing area at City Hall. It was nice to have Kingston Tourism staff on site to hand out free eclipse glasses.

Very pleasant and helpful staff. Madeleine showed initiative and help design a bespoke tour to meet…read moremy needs. Thanks

McMahon's is a florist that also carries an excellent selection of indoor and outdoor potted plants…read moreand decorative trees. Though it's a good sized shop, it can feel a bit cramped due to the huge amount of greenery on display! Now, I'll be straight up: as is the case with many of my Kingston and Simcoe reviews, I consider Rob -- the owner -- a friend at this point. Also like other such reviews, he became a friend after I was already a customer, and that friendship is a testament to his dedication to his craft and genuinely fine character. Anyway. I am a green thumb, with both a backyard veggie garden and an indoor plethora of greenery (15+ plants of varying types, at one time over 20+), and I've patronized numerous florists in my day. None have come close to McMahon's. Some may be cheaper, but price is never, ever the first factor when it comes to living things; besides, it's hardly "expensive", more middle of the road. So, what sets McMahon's apart? * Prompt, friendly, personalized service -- Rob has a memory like a Venus Fly Trap... if *I* remember correctly, he knew my name, my girlfriend at the time, and my dog, after one ten minute visit, not to mention the type of plant we had purchased. That's impressive, especially considering how busy he is. * They stand by their products... and others! I once mentioned that one of my ficus was doing poorly and that no matter what I tried it was dying. Rob suggested I bring it in for him to take a look at. I informed him it wasn't from his shop -- he said not to worry about it, he was happy to help. So I did, and he did. He nursed it over a few weeks and, upon returning, it was thriving. WOW. I think the man just enjoys a challenge. * Fantastic staff. I mean, as good as it gets fantastic staff. They're great with customers, know their stuff inside and out, and also put together beautiful floral arrangements. Trifecta of awesome! * Comprehensive knowledge. Rob's knowledge of botany is impressive to say the least. I don't know what his background is, but when he talks about plants, man, it's like listening to an entertaining professor. I half expect him to quiz me (and would fully expect that to be a fun experience). So, if you happen to find yourself in Kingston, pop by McMahon's and say hi -- this is one of the gems of Downtown Ktown, and well worth a visit!

I found McMahon's House of Flowers from a google search on the internet. I wanted to send my…read morebrother an arrangement to mark the anniversary of our mother's passing, and I placed my order online. It wasn't an overly fancy order, but I did request that they include as many sunflowers as possible. I received a personal message from Rob the following day, updating me on the status of my order. They hadn't been able to secure sunflowers that week, but he had noted from my message that sunflowers were important to the family. He had come up with a solution (using other flowers that resembled sunflowers, to ensure that the essence of my request was still honoured). He asked me to call if I was not pleased with this solution. The next day I received another message from Rob, telling me that he had been able to find a beautiful sunflower, which he would be sure to add to our arrangement. My brother sent me a photo of the flowers, and they were gorgeous. I was incredibly impressed with this service because I was a faceless, online order, and as far as Rob was concerned, probably a one-time customer. For him to take the time and energy to ensure that my order was completed in such a satisfactory manner, really says a lot about his business and the type of person he is. I HIGHLY recommend McMahon's House of Flowers, and if I ever need flowers in Kingston again, I will certainly be returning there! Thanks again to Rob for his sensitivity and attention to detail. You made a difficult anniversary so much brighter.