Vallejo Vignettes – Ripples of goodness in Vallejo

The Vallejo Vignettes are reader-submitted stories of something fun, quirky or inspiring that happened to them in Vallejo. If you'd like to submit a Vignette for publication, please email your submission to vallejovignettes@vallejosun.com.

I moved to Vallejo in the summer of 2020. As you can imagine that was probably the hardest time to move to a new city. I didn’t know anyone and it wasn’t like I could go out to socialize, in the middle of a pandemic. I joined a few online community groups on Facebook to learn more about this new city and one day I commented on a post in the Vallejo Crime and Safety group. It seemed everyone had so much negative to say about the city, I couldn’t help but wonder what people were doing to make a difference here, to bring solutions instead of just complaining about the problems. 

Like a pebble dropped in the calm waters of a lake, that comment rippled and continues to ripple, four years later. It blossomed into quite a productive discussion thread and within a few hours, I had 10 friend requests from some of the most amazing women that I am still friends with to this day. They introduced me to other groups on Facebook and to their friends and other organizations within Vallejo. 

One person in particular changed everything for me. Her name was Kandi Blomquist. She was one of the original creators of the Buy Nothing $ Free Share Vallejo Group on Facebook. She started having socially distanced gatherings at her house in her backyard. It was through those gatherings that I continued to meet more and more people and continued to learn more about this city. 

I learned that every Saturday I could walk down a few blocks to the farmers market, practically at my doorstep, where I made connections with the same vendors every week; learned about how cool it was to sit and drink coffee at Provisions, and while there, say hello to my new friends because this was THE place to come for brunch; about how fun it was to look at all the new books at Alibi Bookshop and to listen to Karen recommend a new title to an eager book reader; to discover all the new things at Anchor Pantry, this hidden gem tucked away downtown that I know will have all the ingredients that regular stores won’t have; to poke my head into The Joint to wave to Stephanie and to watch as the community rallied around after the fire that destroyed the store and to see it grow again to something even more amazing. I had dinner and laughed at the new comics at the free comedy shows at Bambino’s. When Kandi got sick, I volunteered in her stead with Heather at Food is Free Bay Area Solano and worked alongside others to take care of the community together. 

Kandi lost her battle to cancer, but her impact on the community continues to grow even to this day. Each person I meet introduces me to someone new, who in turn connects me with a different group or team. And the Buy Nothing & Free Share Group allowed me to stand at my front gate, and not only get free things, but also that deeply needed connection during the pandemic when we were all stuck at home. We got to connect and learn more about each other and ultimately become friends. I looked forward to going to pick up items because then I could drive all over Vallejo, discovering new parks and neighborhoods, and this discovery continues to this day.. 

Sure there is plenty wrong with any city, but I am finding that you don’t have to look very hard to find there’s a lot more good than bad here. Quietly, consistently, there are people in Vallejo that are making a difference here and I am so proud to be a part of those ripples that continue because of that one comment I happened to make on Facebook and Kandi fostering through her generosity and kindness.

 – By Katt Clark. Katt is an Executive Operations Manager who lives in the Heritage district, close to downtown.