Allston streetwear shoppers will have a new option available this month following the opening of At The Buzzer, a consignment shop and cap retailer. The store is located at the top of Harvard Avenue and offers a wide variety of both second-hand and deadstock shoes, as well as a selection of caps from New Era.

TH caught up with the managing partner of the store, J, a day before the grand opening. We found him vacuum-sealing a pair of Jordans behind the counter. He talked with us about the Boston scene and his vision for the business.

Photo gallery and interview after the jump.

Tell me about yourself. How long have you been in Boston? Did you go to school around here?

J: I grew up in Queens during my youth and then I moved to Boston in 1996. I went to school at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

What are your top three favorite sneakers from your private collection?

J: The top three favorite shoes from my collection are Dunk High Pro SB Hufs, Lebron IV Birthdays, and Penny Foamposites.

What is the vision behind “At the Buzzer”? What does the name mean and what image do you want the store to project?

J: Growing up in NYC, basketball was a huge part of my life. After moving to Boston, I continued to keep my passion of basketball alive, and I created a basketball league in the Boston area with a friend. I’ve met so many people through basketball and it was something was always near and dear to my heart, so I wanted to incorporate my love for the game into the store layout. We have a lot of framed posters of shots taken “at the buzzer”, a la Michael Jordan. We also have all 17 Celtics championship banners hanging from our ceiling.

Why did you want to open a sneaker consignment shop? Do you think your store has a different feel than the other streetwear places around Boston because people can sell their own stuff?

J: I wanted to open a sneaker consignment shop because there was a void in the Boston area and there’s a lot of sneakerheads in Boston. I want to provide an outlet for buyers and sellers alike. I don’t think we necessarily have a different feel than other stores, but we just have a different business model. We’re also a licensed retailer for New Era, so we’re going to be selling a lot more New Era caps in the near future. We’re not just a consignment shop, but also a cap store.

With the exception of Concepts and Laced, most of the sneaker stores in town have opened in the last 2-3 years. Is the scene changing in Boston? Do you think the city is undergoing some kind of cultural shift?

J: I don’t think the scene is changing, it’s just becoming a lot more mainstream. A lot of stores are opening in Boston, which is great for the city, but it’s important to offer something new to the table. I think the majority of the stores have fulfilled that and I hope that I can do the same.

How will sales work at the store? I read online that it will be an 80/20 or 70/30. Do people determine the selling price for their shoes when they bring them in or do you appraise them and sell them for what you think they’re worth?

J: Consignment will be 80/20, but we will have a 85/15 special in the near future. When sellers bring in their shoes, we negotiate a sales price together.

If somebody came in and asked you what the rawest shit on the shelves was, what would you show them?

J: I would say the Dunk Low Pro SB “Michael Lau”, Air Force 1 “Playstation”, and Air Force 1 “Ueno”.