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Stepping into 310 Salina St. is like stepping back into time. Immediately, customers are greeted with a sea of vintage hats, hoodies, jerseys, jackets and tees, from every era of Syracuse sports. Along with the merchandise, a collection of sports posters and other SU memorabilia cover the walls, giving Scholars & Champs a museum-like feel.
“Treat it like a walk down memory lane. You come into the shop and look at some cool art and also view some retro items that you’ve never seen before and just take the experience in,” said Bert Aufsesser, owner of Scholars & Champs.
As a postgrad at SU attending games with the alumni club, Aufsesser wanted to wear a cool, quality outfit that no one else had. He struggled to find something he liked, sparking his own passion for vintage clothes. He visited thrift stores and shopped online, and his collection bloomed from there.
Aufsesser opened his dream store in 2019, selling vintage and custom Syracuse apparel to outfit fans in unique, on-trend styles. Scholars & Champs is home to Aufsesser’s well-curated collection of vintage Syracuse wear, one-of-a-kind T-shirts, New York sportswear and his own T-shirt designs.
After graduating from SU in 2010, Aufsesser worked for Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. He used his retail background as a springboard for his new passion and launched into the vintage world.
Over the past four years, the collection has grown. With new second hand gems coming in and out of the shop, only Aufsesser knows exactly what pieces Scholars & Champs holds.
“The walls are covered, the ceiling is covered, the ground is covered. I’ve been working there for almost three years now and I haven’t seen everything we have,” said Dominic Brancoli, SU senior and Scholars & Champs employee.
Aufsesser maintains a relationship with current SU students by being a favorite spot for game day attire. He spends the summer months gearing up for football season by scouring the internet and connecting with vintage sellers to get the best of the best for Syracuse fanatics.
“The first game is always a big jump in the amount of people out and about trying to get something to wear for the game,” Aufsesser said. “I would also say homecoming, the Clemson game and parents weekend are the three biggest weekends.”
Brancoli also notices the difference between customers week to week. There is always an uptick during the first week of school with back to school shopping and incoming freshmen. It will get even busier this weekend for the first game, according to Brancoli.
Aufsesser was an avid Orange fan while attending SU and got to experience games, concerts and events while working at the Carrier Dome as a catering supervisor. Now, he said the hype around game days exceeds that of the late 2000s.
“It’s a contest to see who can dress the best, who can have the coolest outfit,” Aufsesser said. “Just with social media becoming such a big thing to do, everyone sees what you’re doing. You want to live your best life kinda thing.”
Exposure to trends and fashion on social media influences college students’ outfit choices, Aufsesser said. They take inspiration from other kids wearing cool clothes and want to recreate it or make it their own.
Aufsesser watches the trends move through campus when he gets to football, basketball, soccer and women’s lacrosse games throughout the year. He talks with his mother, Kathy Aufsesser, who said she watches trends from the west coast and shares what she thinks will fly in the east.
Kathy supplements her son’s vintage wear collection by sewing sweatshorts, skirts, bandeau tops, reversible bucket hats and more. She researches trends and buys patterns before they pick out the fabric together and she gets sewing. Aufsesser has over $10,000 worth of fabric stored to pick from. Kathy then ships the finished pieces from her home in San Diego to Syracuse.
“I would have my mom sew stuff together and next thing you know I had a whole storage facility full of orange clothes,” Aufsesser said.
As Aufsesser was filling his storage unit, Kathy was encouraging him to open Scholars & Champs. Kathy appreciates the physical shop and all the effort that continues to go on behind the scenes.
“He had a vision, and he’s figured out a way to make his store attractive and still be able to produce the feel he has and show how much he really likes Syracuse,” Kathy said.
Published on August 30, 2023 at 12:14 am
