Bittersweet Closing Of Sonoma County Favorite Brain-Freezing Sweet Shop

PETALUMA, CA — Anyone who loves brain-freezing sugar bombs that could fuel Petaluma kids and adults alike for hours will be recovering today from a bittersweet weekend.

Once Upon a Slush built seven years of first jobs, birthdays, engagements, and community memories before closing its downtown Petaluma doors for the last time Aug. 30.

Owners Dave and Juliet Pokorny announced the permanent closure of the fairy tale-themed dessert shop at 122B American Alley in an emotional Facebook message.

“After seven wonderful years, we’ve made the bittersweet decision to close Once Upon a Slush,” the couple wrote in July.

On Friday, the Pokornys invited customers to visit before the final day while the whole family was in town.

“After years of scoops and stories, we’re closing our doors on Sunday,” the owners wrote. “The whole Pokorny family is in town this week — come say hi before we go.”

The shop served colorful Italian-style slushes, Straus Family Creamery soft-serve ice cream, espresso drinks, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, and popcorn. It also offered catering, hosted community fundraisers, and organized downtown treasure hunts.

The Pokornys opened the business in 2019 as a Wicked Slush franchise after pursuing a decades-long goal of operating their own storefront.

Three years later, they left the franchise and renamed the business Once Upon a Slush to reflect their storytelling background and creative vision.

The couple also owns West Side Stories Petaluma, a production company that presents literary and storytelling events in the city.

In their farewell message, the owners focused on the people who entered the shop and made it part of their lives.

They recalled hiring local teenagers for their first jobs and watching them earn driver’s licenses, attend prom, graduate, leave for college, and return during summer breaks.

The couple also remembered customers who celebrated birthdays, victories, engagements, and other milestones at the shop. One wedding party arrived in formal attire shortly after saying, “I do.”

The Pokornys credited their daughters, Alexis and Miranda Pokorny, with helping build the business. Alexis worked for years as general manager. Miranda later assumed the role and created the company’s website, gift cards, promotional materials, and artwork.

The shop faced major challenges only months after opening when the COVID-19 pandemic forced widespread business shutdowns. The Pokornys continued adapting as operating expenses increased.

They said hourly wages had risen by more than 40 percent since the business opened, while rent had increased by more than 200 percent.

“We won’t pretend the last several years have been easy,” the couple wrote. “Like every small business still standing downtown, we’ve weathered a lot of pivots.”

The Pokornys compared the experience with another project they launched years earlier, the Wine Country Spoken Word Festival, which two major wildfires disrupted.

The family plans to remain active in Petaluma through West Side Stories Petaluma. The production company holds events on the second Wednesday of each month at the Polly Klaas Community Theater.

As of Tuesday, no new tenant had been publicly identified for the American Alley storefront.

Customers filled social media with messages thanking the family for creating a welcoming downtown gathering place.

“I’m loving reading all the messages of love and gratitude here,” one supporter wrote. “The Slush will be missed, but not you, the Pokornys. One of Petaluma’s treasures.”

Another customer thanked the owners “for all the happiness, deliciousness, and possible brain freezes you brought to Petaluma.”

Before closing, the Pokornys invited customers to visit “until we run out of slush and soft serve, whichever comes first.”

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