Talking Shop at Rescue

Paul and Jeralyn Mason first opened their hip buy/sell/trade boutique Rescue four years ago in Allston (they pay sellers up front for garments in credit or cash). After a successful year-and-a-half, the siblings moved the shop to Newbury and never looked back. They’ve since made a name for themselves both as business partners and fashion figures — just last year, the Globe ranked them among the city’s most stylish Bostonians.

With the fall fashion season right around the corner, we sat down with Paul to get his take on Boston’s style scene, the future of Rescue, butting heads with Jeralyn, and what exactly inspires that acclaimed wardrobe of his.

How did you and Jeralyn get started?

Well, my sister was working at a buy/sell/trade store in Brooklyn [Beacon’s Closet], and she didn’t want to work there anymore. At the time, there weren’t any buy/sell/trade stores in Boston, there were only consignment shops, so we decided it would be a good spot.

Have you always been as into fashion as Jeralyn? What were you doing pre-Rescue?

I had a job at a place called Boston Granite Exchange, which imports and wholesales granite and marble slabs and tiles. So it wasn’t fashion-related at all, but from working there, I had gone on a lot of trips to Italy. Obviously Italian fashion is amazing, so I would go to Italy and there would be all these older gentlemen just dressed awesomely. Everyone looked so good, and that encouraged me to start dressing better.

What will Rescue buy for fall? Keep reading to find out…

At one point you had two locations on Newbury. What happened to the one down the street?

It just never got busy — never really did what we needed it to do. So we figured we’d bring all the inventory back up to this shop and regroup.

What’s it like running Rescue with your sister?

It’s been pretty fun. I mean, we’ve fought a lot, but we’ve also had a lot of really great times. There was a period where we lived together, too, and that was a lot more stressful. We don’t live together anymore.

Sweet Nike kicks, $42 / Photo by Benjamin Lindsay

You mentioned Italy’s amazing fashion scene — what do you think of Boston’s style?

I think it has its highs and its lows. Because it’s such a college-based city, there are a lot of people that just wear sweatpants and flip-flops every day, you know? So it’s not the best, but it’s definitely not the worst. It all depends on where you go, really — who you hang out with.

Where do you get your inspiration for fashion? Do you follow the trends, or is it your own twist on things?

It’s a little bit of both. I follow some trends, of course. It’s kind of hard not to. Some trends I like a lot and want to participate in, but others I think are really stupid and I don’t want anything to do with them. I basically just wear what I think looks cool and good. I wouldn’t say I have any specific inspiration.

Does your taste limit what you bring into the store?

It did at first. We tried to only buy what we liked, but we realized that people don’t necessarily only like what we like. We carry a lot of stuff, and a lot of it I wouldn’t wear, but then there’s a lot of it that I would.

What are you looking to buy for fall?

Ideally, we’d love to get a bunch of Montclair jackets, but that’s not realistic. So just jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters, button downs. They can be vintage, they can be a no-name brand. As long as they’re stylish and it’s something that people will want, then that’s the kind of stuff we’re looking to buy.

297 Newbury St., Boston, 857-350-4410, rescuebuyselltrade.com.

This interview has been edited and condensed.