About
Once Upon a Find started with a simple thought: why should we always have to leave Stockton to find something fun and different to do?
After seeing so many creative themed pop-ups and markets happening in the Bay Area and Southern California, I kept wishing we had more experiences like them closer to home. Eventually, I stopped waiting for someone else to do it and decided to give it a try myself.
Was I confident about it? Absolutely not.
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”
— Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia herself
That's pretty much how Once Upon a Find was born, and honestly, it's something I still carry with me as it grows.
Once Upon a Find is about creating the kinds of experiences I wanted to see more of in Stockton: themed pop-ups, markets, food experiences, and other fun reasons for people to come together and discover something new.
But I hope it becomes more than just a series of events.
At the heart of Once Upon a Find are three things:
Make room for creativity, imagination, and ideas that feel a little different. From the themes behind our events to the local vendors and makers who bring their own creativity to them, I want Once Upon a Find to be a place where people are encouraged to create and try something new.
Give people a reason to come together. Whether it's over a shared fandom, a favorite food, something nostalgic, or simply wanting something fun to do, I hope our events create little moments of connection—with each other and with the community around us.
Find ways to give something back as Once Upon a Find grows. That might mean supporting local causes, creating opportunities for young people to get involved, organizing community giving projects, or finding other ways our events can leave a little good behind.
Once Upon a Find is still growing, and I'm still figuring out exactly where it can go. Not every event will look the same, and I don't want them to. There's room here to experiment, explore different ideas, and build something that feels like it belongs to our community.
This started because I wanted something I couldn't find close to home.
Now, I want to see what we can create together.
Let's see what we find next.
— Marlena
Founder, Once Upon a Find