1.18 San Diego

Heyy Soulmates <3 My name is Erick Cunanan, the social media and marketing intern with Soul Real Market. Before joining the team, I have been a long time Soulmate myself. I hosted my first market in 2022, the same year that Soul Real Market was born. I specifically remember LOVING the vibes of the market with a more intimate space but full of amazing vendors, insane thrift finds, and music that made me want to dance. 

It feels like a full circle moment from being a Soulmate myself to being apart of them team, helping plan the market itinerary and social media rollouts. When we were planning for the San Diego market on 1.18, the team was discussing what interactive games to play at the event. I perked up and got a rush of excitement, I immediately knew I wanted to be the emcee for the games. We settled on 2 games to host at the market, "Gimme Gimme" and "Guess that Song".

On the day of the market, I was nervous to emcee. But once it started, I blacked out and was in the moment. The games brought such a lively atmosphere and seeing the competitive spirit in the community was heartwarming. I loved seeing how the games brought all the Soulmates together, I was completely immersed.

Our community of Soulmates, both vendors and shoppers has always been the same - the best energy that truly makes our markets so special. I met some of the sweetest and authentic people that day, my favorite part was meeting and encouraging Soulmates to not only participate but to join me on the mic. It was a privilege to help emcee and I had the best time. The vibes were up that day, I am so excited for the rest of our markets to and to host even more games!

Edited by: Tiffany Hua, SRM Website Manager