Kyle Puma and Rachel Puma, the owners and founders of Lifted Apparel and Board Shop, deeply appreciate the connection of creativity that can exist among people and the variety of ways that creativity can be expressed. Their vision was to create a space for people to meet, network, and progress as much if not more than to sell some items. Physically, at 709 East Dominick Street in Rome, New York, and through their active web presence, Lifted supports a web of athletes, artists, musicians and active minds and encourages people to live a lifted life. It’s no wonder Lifted and the Utica Music and Arts Festival get along so well, it’s a holistic kind of thing.
At first glance, it may not seem that artists, musicians, and athletes have very much in common. Given a moment to ponder, I think it can be easily seen how all of these mediums are vehicles for self expression, a vital part of the human experience. The graceful slicing of movement down a slope is no less an art than plotting the melody of a song or layering textures onto a painting. The drive of artists and athletes to exhibit their expression both spring strong from the same well. It becomes a way to experience the world around you, a way to do so with an eye toward appreciation and connection. Creative minds enjoy interacting with each other and reach out in so many ways. The founders of Lifted get it, and they want to advance it by providing an atmosphere where people feel valued and comfortable, appreciated and supported. This kind of treatment makes people feel good. Those people want to hang around and tell their friends. In this way, the network grows and Lifted is experiencing a lot of great word of mouth advertising. Their patrons are connected to them and care about them, because the feeling seems mutual.
The items you can find in the store include skate, wake and snow boarding equipment, art, gear, fashion, and other related accessories to the lifestyle. The store sponsors a team of riders who vocally appreciate the strong support they feel from Lifted and the store frequently reaches out to other projects in the community as well.
The UMAF encourages fans to stop into Lifted, check them out on the web, including their innovative and enthusiastic blog, and stop by and see their presence at the UMAF get to know some of the great people behind this concept. There are plans underway for an artist workshop hosted by Lifted during the festival. Please stay tuned to our website and their’s for all breaking news. Get lifted! We love U!
~MLW
