Mike Safran, owner of Safran’s Antiques and The Gamecock Shop
Mike Safran, owner of Safran’s Antiques and The Gamecock Shop at 1015 Whaley Street, has spent years buying and selling antique and historical pieces, creating a personal collection of thousands. His passion, however, is Gamecock sports history.
Safran is a third generation owner of Safran’s Antiques in Columbia. The original store, located at 930 Gervais Street, was begun by his grandparents, Joseph and Jennie Safran, in 1915, .
Safran’s father, Milton Safran, developed Safran’s antiques into a large, thriving retail antique store and antique auction business until his untimely death in 1974 in a tragic plane crash near Paris, France, while on a buying trip in Europe. Safran’s mother sold the business to Charlton Hall who also owned an antique auction business in Columbia.
Safran began his business in antique sales from his home, creating advertisements for trade publications such as magazines and newspapers across the nation and for 20 years shipping items to customers from his personal inventory.
When his collection of antiques and Gamecock sports collection pieces outgrew the room in his house, Safran purchased 10,000 square feet of retail and storage space on Whaley Street, close to the University of South Carolina sports complex and William’s Brice Stadium.
Safran’s Antiques and The Gamecock Shop has become a magnet for Gamecock sports legends as a place to visit and reminisce about their years at the University of South Carolina.
Safran said, “ You never know who is going to walk in the door… and very often it is someone who has a connection with Gamecocks sports history.” Safran said an “Alist cast of characters” of sports legends gather at the store to visit and tell their stories.
Safran created The Gamecock Shop in a large section of the Whaley Street Safran’s Antique store for an extensive display of Gamecock history. The Gamecock Shop is a museum of collected treasures that have drawn fans and former sports heroes and tourists to share in the memories and to learn something new about Gamecock sports.
Safran’s collection includes football jerseys, autographed photographs of Gamecock sports heroes such as George Rogers, Steve Tanneyhill, Alex English, Sterling Sharpe, and Todd Ellis. Other popular items include original band uniforms from years past, ticket stubs and programs from games, posters, and pennants. Live footage of games play on TVs located in The Gamecock Shop.
Safran now has the opportunity to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for Gamecock history to new students at the University of South Carolina enrolled in the University 101 courses. Every semester, he hosts classes at The Gamecock Shop for groups of University 101 students and provides tours of the historical pieces that tell the story of the history of the University of South Carolina through the history of its sports programs.
On display are maps of the USC campus as it has developed throughout history. Copies of student publications and magazines from the past and photographs of the City of Columbia over the past century become learning tools for the students.
Undoubtedly, however, each of these USC students will leave with a strong impression of the importance of being a dedicated Gamecock fan. According to Safran, “It is about heart”… not the price of a ticket. He believes that being a loyal fan to these sports heroes who have come and gone is what it is all about.
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