The TV blared inside Nick Giarrusso’s streetwear store in Syracuse the day after the shooting of rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was murdered outside his Los Angeles clothing store. Giarrusso sat on a wooden stool as a customer stared at the screen, the two talking about how Hussle was a champion for his community.

Ambition Upstate relocated near Armory Square in May 2018. Since moving, the store has become a microcosm for mainstream music, fashion and sneaker culture, while also featuring locally-crafted products. The store also fosters a fashion community that extends beyond the boundaries of Syracuse.

Giarrusso said he first began collecting shoes and observing street style when he was playing travel basketball around the United States at 14 years old. Seeing different styles from Florida and California helped him develop an eye for style outside of Syracuse. But it wasn’t until he was in his early 20s that he saw the potential of his shoe collection having a true business value.

In 2014, Giarrusso was working at Tully’s Good Times in Liverpool as a busboy when he saw a man at the mall flip his Jordan 11 Retro Concord shoes for double its initial $125 value. Soon after, he began doing the same with clearance shoes.

Ambition Upstate recently moved near Armory Square. His store features clothing from local brands like Pure Clothing and hypebeast brands like Supreme. Aaron Kassman | Staff Photographer

“You do this 10 times and you can make $1,000 in a day,” Giarrusso said. “It’s the quick flip that gets your adrenaline going.”

But he warned that while there are definite rewards in flipping, sneakers can also be risky assets. He said that while one shoe may double in value, others can lose value from their initial drop date. The price drop might mean he will sell them for their current worth or hold onto them and see if they become more valuable over time.

In recent years, as shoe reselling has transitioned to more of an entrepreneurial aspiration rather than a side hustle, Syracuse University junior and amateur seller Liam Malachowski said professional resellers can make a decent living off reselling as the market continues to become more intense.

Susie Teuscher | Digital Design Editor

Malachowski said sneaker-buying bots — software used to automate the online checkout process — have made it harder for customers to buy shoes off stores like Nike, Adidas and Supreme for their original value. He added that Adidas’ implementation of a virtual waiting room, where users are randomly selected on the site page in order to shop, has given customers a better chance pay face-value prices.

But despite the growing competition, Malachowski said streetwear culture has not become exclusive for resellers and continues to be an outlet for sneakerheads to meet.

“A random person could stop you and say they really like your shoes,” Malachowski said, “so there is that connective thing between people who are into it, wherever you are.”

That kind of connection is how Matthew Barletta, the founder of Syracuse-based Pure Clothing brand, is how Pure Clothing’s Instagram following has grown.

Barletta said since displaying his clothing at Ambition Upstate, his brand has gained a sense of legitimacy. Compared to selling clothing from the inside of a car or on Instagram — a practice many up-and-coming artists do — the collaboration he has found with Giarrusso brings ease to promoting his work.

Giarrusso’s collection includes shoes from the Yeezy and Kevin Durant collections. Aaron Kassman | Staff Photographer

Fittingly, Barletta’s clothing has also been noticed by regional rappers like PoloGawd, who recently sported a Pure Clothing’s NASCAR-inspired sweatshirt during his POWER 105.1 interview in New York City.  

PoloGawd — a 14-year-old rapper who has recently been on the radars of rappers like Drake and followed on Instagram by Meek Mill — said he supports Barletta’s clothing as it reminds him of when he first started to rap.

“Not a lot of people glow up in Syracuse,” PoloGawd said, “(it’s) like a city that not a lot of people support you so I understand what he’s doing.” He added that while he’s been in Ambition Upstate once, the store resembles more of the streetwear found in New York City than in Syracuse.

And, as Barletta said, his clothing line is growing, he said a majority of supporters come from outside of the city.

“Really, it’s frustrating that not a lot of kids aren’t looking at what’s coming from Syracuse,” Barletta said. “They’re looking at what’s coming from different parts of the world basically and it’s like, ‘you’re from Syracuse, stick with what you know.’”

Susie Teuscher | Digital Design Editor

Barletta isn’t the only designer that Ambition Upstate shares the storefront with. Keith Ducett, a graphic designer, is the creator of the company Llamatime Printing. After selling about 100 shirts with a design of a llama on it, Ducett labeled the inspired name and has worked in the back of Ambition Upstate, customizing T-shirt designs for clients while also making his own.

He said that while he originally could have bought office space in a warehouse, he continues to work at the store for the sense of community Giarrusso has cultivated over the years. Giarrusso said he hopes to create a relationship with Syracuse students through internships and projects while also working with customers, designers or fellow sneakerheads.

“There is so much young talent in Syracuse,” Giarrusso said. “Nobody gets a chance to actually get in the spotlight, so if I can have this store and help people get into the spotlight and get noticed, I’m all for it.”

Published on April 7, 2019 at 11:30 pm

Contact Diana: dianar@dailyorange.com