Greetings!
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Ahhhhhh..... Warm, sunny days have once again returned to Kingston. The leaves are back on the trees providing some welcoming shade, and the gardens are once again blooming with fragrant, colourful flowers. This is June Splendor. (Also the name of the discontinued china pattern I had many moons ago that remind me of my grandmother's garden when I was little..) People are re-discovering the Kingston downtown after the long winter. Any irritation with the cold has been replaced with warmth and friendliness, a trait that the many tourists who come to Kingston each year rely on and appreciate.
I will do a quick re-wind of last months events. The pre Mother's Day Great Cycle Search was a hit with lots of people coming out to find the cycles and to shop for Mother's Day gifts! A basket with gifts worth over $500.00 was won by Randy Turner. Peter Allan Rice was here and as usual was a big hit with everyone. In spite of the rainy day, lots of people came out to check out how he creates his beautiful pieces and to hear some of his great stories!. The Art After Dark event took place on Friday May 25 from 7-10 pm. Featured artist, Franc Van Oort (and his lovely wife) were on hand to get the low down on Franc's work. We were blessed to have Lynn on guitar & doing vocals and Allison on clarinet, performing duets and entertaining all the lovely folks that came out for the event. All in all we had over 235 people visit us that night. We always get a kick when we hear people say "I've never been here before but I will definitely be back!". Congratulations to all the staff who did an amazing job getting the store looking so beautiful for the event. A special thanks to manager Lisa for organizing all the details (and me) for the event(s)!
So let's talk about what's happening for June! Traditionally, June is a wedding month so whether you are getting married, know someone who is getting married or celebrating your wedding anniversary in June, we have lovely gifts for each one of those occasions! Our friendly staffers will help you pick out a great Canadian made gift and because they know the artists like the back of their hands, if you give them a price point they will help you pick out something that is beautiful and keeps you on budget!
Father's day is Sunday June 17th, and while people don't generally think of us when it comes to "manly things" we have lovely ceramic mugs, glassware, sculptures and prints that many Dad's would love to have.
Our featured artist for June is Sable Dog Paddles. A kingston artist who refurbishes wooden paddles for decor as well as creating new ones for the water.
One of the goals of our store that is near and dear to our hearts, is supporting artists, who, as a result of being able to sell their work on our store are able to, in turn, support their families and their communities. While this applies to all Canadian artists, we are especially pleased that we are slowly but surely developing our aboriginal group of artists from across Canada. While many are familiar with the Inuit carvings that have been at the store for many years, since purchasing the store in 2014, we have expanded to include artwork from the Six Nations. June 21st is Aboriginal Day in Canada, and we will be celebrating the art & culture of our native people on Saturday June 23, by having celebrated Cayuga Nation's carver extraordinaire, Joe Greene Jr. visit us for the day.
June has also been dedicated as PRIDE month in Kingston. The pedestrian courtesy crosswalk in front of Kingston City Hall will have a new vibrant look Wednesday morning: the signature Pride colours were painted in support of the LGBTQ+ community. The new look marks the beginning of Pride month that gets underway on June 1.
And as the temperatures begin to rise, remember we will be a part of the No Hot Pets program again this year. We allow you to bring your leashed pet (or a pet in a stroller) into the store instead of leaving them in a hot car. We are also a partner of the water bottle refill program so we will refill water bottles and pet bowls too! Animals are afraid of fireworks so please be mindful of pets when you are celebrating long weekends. The last thing you want is to be searching for a pet that's bolted outside at night because it's afraid.
From our heart you yours,
Penny & the wonderful staff at Cornerstone
