Free Humanity

When you’re standing at One Thousand Central Avenue in Alameda, California, look up, you'll see a cascade of graffiti hearts, spilling color across the historic 1886 building by Free Humanity of Los Angeles. The striking carbon-black building is home to Westside Joe’s Bike Shop, nestled in the heart of Alameda’s Gold Coast.

 

A few months ago, the universe whispered a story through the phone, Scott Pyvot, an entrepreneur from Las Vegas, reached out unexpectedly. He told me he had seen my bike shop featured on the CABDA (Trade Show for Bicycle Industry) Instagram, where a photo captured the CEO, Jim Kersten, walking briskly past my storefront. What caught Scott’s eye wasn’t the toddler balance bikes or the Penny Farthing in the window, it was the familiar graffiti hearts on the building.

 

As it turns out, Scott had previously collaborated with Free Humanity to turned those very same hearts into wearable art, socks wrapping their message of love around the feet of cyclists.

 

What a beautiful coincidence, a gentle reminder that art, bikes, and community weave us together, thread by thread, stitched through color, through kindness, through the simple joy of motion.
 

One love, one heart, one sock at a time.

 

Swing by Westside Joe’s Bike Shop to purchase a Free Humanity sticker or a pair of their iconic socks, wearable art that lets you carry a little love, color, and community wherever you ride!

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"Free Humanity is the pseudonym of a Los Angeles-based street artist known for creating vibrant murals featuring multicolored hearts and messages promoting positivity and social consciousness. Emerging onto the street art scene around 2011, Free Humanity gained early attention with installations that combined bold visuals with subtle political commentary."