For alumnus Sean Kirk, who grew up on the border of Maryland and Delaware, College Park was always missing something.

But after living in this area for five years, three of which were spent planning to bring a little piece of home to College Park, Kirk and his business partner, senior philosophy major Bryan Haddad, are on the cusp of opening The Bamboo Eater — a tobacco shop that will sell everything from hand-blown glass pipes to custom jewelry to black lights to incense and candles.

Kirk said he got the idea to open a tobacco shop near the university after witnessing the success of three well-known smoke shops near the University of Delaware — Flavor Clothing, Frolic on Main Street and Main Street News & Tobacco. Although College Park is home to liquor stores that sell cigars and tobacco products, such as Village Pump Liquors on Greenbelt Road, there is no store akin to those Kirk grew up around within striking distance of this campus.

“There are stores in Baltimore, but that’s a pain to get to,” Kirk said. “There are places in non-Metro-accessible areas in D.C., but they’re overpriced.”

The Bamboo Eater will open in the Hollywood Square Shopping Center on Rhode Island Avenue at the end of the semester. Its owners insisted the shop will not just cater to smokers but instead will offer a range of products while also striving to establish itself within the community.

“Students are the most important, and that’s who we are hoping to cater and market to,” Kirk said, adding they intend on providing space in their store for local artists and musicians — especially university students — to sell and display their work.

The owners also said they hope to turn The Bamboo Eater into a learning experience for college students interested in trying their hand at running a small business.

“I’d love to teach some entrepreneurial classes 10 years down the road, maybe get some interns, teach accounting and finance and eventually have some students take over the shop,” said Kirk, who was a finance and government and politics major during his time at the university.

But for now, Haddad and Kirk are running the shop alone.

Because neither Haddad nor Kirk owns a car, they said it’s been difficult starting their business. They rely on public transportation to get to and from work, as well as to transport all of their merchandise.

“It’s been a tough year, we’ve sacrificed a lot,” Kirk said. “But I’m excited, I love it, and this is my dream.”

They chose the location — a storefront on Rhode Island Avenue about two miles from the campus — because of the success of the store before theirs. Omega Uniforms, a school and scout uniform shop that previously occupied the space, had impressive longevity.

“[Omega Uniforms] was open for over 30 years,” Kirk said. “We want to do that. We want to be a part of the community and be there for the course of our working careers.”

Students seemed receptive to the idea of a near-campus smoke shop.

“I would absolutely shop there; it sounds like a really cool place,” freshman biology major Lauren Slamon said.

Freshman communication major Jason Miller, who heard about The Bamboo Eater from a flier posted in the Plant Science Building, said he will likely be a frequent customer.

“I’m gonna go there all the time,” Miller said. “It’s so close and convenient; it’s a great location. You don’t find places like that anywhere near College Park. It’s gonna be great.”

Students must be at least 18 years old to get in — the owners will be checking IDs, Haddad said.

Although specific items are already displayed on their website — thebambooeater.com — no prices have been listed because the duo is still researching price ranges for the products they will be offering, the owners said. They did say the prices will depend on the eccentricity of the designs on hand-made objects.

“We haven’t decided on all of the prices yet, but they will be competitive,” Haddad said. “We want to be cheaper in price but not in quality.”

A plain wine glass would likely be sold for a few dollars, but a color-changing, hand-blown wine glass with an intricate dragon crawling up the side might be closer to $10, they said. Haddad and Kirk also said they intend on taking specialized orders, referencing one customer who has already requested a butterfly on the side of her wine glass.

More than anything, however, the owners said they understand what it is like to be on a college student’s budget, and they hope to price their products accordingly.

“Their prices sound pretty reasonable,” Slamon said. “I could see myself buying a colorful wine glass for my parents or something.”

egan at umdbk dot com