Scholars and Champs, a vintage clothing store in the heart of downtown Syracuse, New York has always been a Syracuse student favorite. NCC News Reporter Charlotte Steinberg asked owner and SU Alum Bert Aufsesser how the name came to be.
Transcript
Charlotte Steinberg
(sound of people going through the racks)
THAT IS THE SOUND OF CUSTOMERS GOING THROUGH RACKS OF NEW SHIPMENTS OF CLOTHING. ON SOUTH SALINA STREET YOU WILL FIND A VINTAGE SYRACUSE CLOTHING STORE LOVED BY MANY, SCHOLARS AND CHAMPS WHICH GOT ITS NAME FROM SNOOP DOGG. WHILE THE STORE IS NOT ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS ARE STILL FLOCKING TO GET THEIR SYRACUSE GEAR.Bert Aufsesser
“Yeah, I wanted to part of the community and I wanted to get somewhere where I felt I was accessible by all different people I always thought about should I open in the mall should I open on campus but I really like this location it’s by two very popular restaurants original grain and oh my darling so I figured that would be a good thing”Charlotte Steinberg
JOHN JEHA LIVES ON THE SAME STREET AS THE SHOP AND SAYS THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT IN SYRACUSE.John Jeha
“.. a ton of SU related stores around town, but we don’t have anything specifically is uh uh marketed as vintage or the particular cool stuff Bert has”Charlotte Steinberg
OWNER BERT DESCRIBED THAT THOUGH FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL SEASON IS OVER THERE IS STILL A NEW CLASS OF FRESHMEN AND LOCALS RACING TO FIND NEW LOOKS FOR NEXT YEAR.Charlotte Steinberg, N-C-C News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) - When you walk through the doors of Scholars and Champs, bells announce your arrival. Racks are stuffed with colorful Syracuse University vintage gear. Owner Bert Aufsesser greets each customer and offers to help.
The name of the store might not ring a bell but if you say it out loud it might remind you of someone.
“When I was younger, I was watching Rap City, and Snoop Dogg was on there, and he talked about how he went to Long Beach Poly High School, the home of Scholars and Champs,” Aufsesser said.
He didn’t think much of it until about ten years later.
“My mom came home with a sweatshirt and it had the word scholar on it, and made me think of when Snoop Dogg said, the home of Scholars and Champs.”
He wanted to name the store after what he had heard on the television show, but using that name would have challenges.
“I wanted to trademark it, so I could eventually open a website and have a clothing line,” said Aufsesser cracking a smile.
Once the shop started to become a reality Aufsesser hired a lawyer to look into trademark issues with the name. The lawyer discovered that Snoop did have a trademark on “Scholars and Champs” but it is on shoes, and not for a store or clothing brand.
Aufsesser was in the clear. “But now I do, and I have the trademark.”
It’s getting attention, celebrities such as Pete Davidson from Saturday Night Live, and Tyler Cameron from the ABC hit show The Bachelor have bought vintage Syracuse clothing. And Aufsesser doesn’t miss the opportunity to splash them on the Scholar and Champs social media pages.
Scholar and Champs is located at 310 South Salina Street, and open is open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.