Welcome to Kensington! A small community north of city centre, with a bright atmosphere and warm community feel. The main area of Kensington consists of Kensington Rd and 10th Street, though the community itself extends much further. Kensington offers a unique experience from its shops and restaurants to its art and people with an amazing mix of businesses, making it easy to find something for you to do no matter how you are feeling including coffee shops, shopping, bars, or fun time-killers. Personally I have spent a lot of time working in Kensington, and yet I still discover new things every time I walk throughout the area. There is always something to see or do, as long as you are open minded! The main shopping area consists of many Mom & Pop shops either unique to Kensington or with very few other locations, mixed with some bigger chains, giving everyone in your group something to do!

One of the biggest scenes in Kensington is the coffee shops. All within a two or three minute walk you can find eight unique coffee shops, all with their own quirks and regulars. Regulars are a big thing that I love about Kensington. Since I have spent most of my time here because I have been working, I have met so many community members who love to spend their spare time in cafe’s, restaurants, or bars around the area. It is not uncommon to run into these new friends on the streets and start up a conversation or end up getting a coffee together.

Not only is there coffee galore in Kensington but there is also a lot of shopping at many boutiques with every style you can think of. You can make your own shirt at the Rocket, or get all dressed up at Peacock Boutique, but if you don’t feel like buying clothes, pick up a new, or old, book at Pages. Maybe you finish up your shopping and feel a bit hungry?

The next draw to Kensington is the endless food options. This isn’t a place to stop in a McDonald’s but you can grab shawarma, smoothies, Thai food, pub food or even Tim Horton’s, since we are obviously Canadian, and much more! When it comes to pub food, those option are also endless, with Kensington Pub being a community favourite, along with Side Street and Hayden Block (half price meat after 10? I think, yes!). But after you’ve gotten yourself a bit to eat and maybe even a drink, what next? Well….

This little community is a great place to kill time or even bring a date! With places like the Plaza Theatre, Regal Cat Cafe, Trapped Escape Rooms and us, at the Hexagon Board Game Cafe, you will never want to leave the area!

With so many of the businesses in Kensington being small shops I feel like a tagline of the community could easily be, “Support Local”.

While this barely scratches the surface of the Kensington area, it also contains businesses for life upkeep, such as hairdressers, grocery stores, banks and all that jazz, but I’ll leave it at that, and you will have to come and discover the rest on your own!