Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Located off East Pennsylvania Avenue in Uptown Towson, a quiet coffee shop with a hipster vibe and international delicacies attracts a wide array of customers from the nearby Circuit Court and banks to distant Goucher College and Towson University.
The dark windows of The Bun Shop are covered with intricate gold designs that have most passers-by peeking in. Brothers Lam and Andrew Bui jointly own and manage the shop, along with their cousin, Mihn Vo. The three pull in customers with “buns” and pastries embedded with flavors across the globe. Favorites include guava cheese rolls, a Cuban pastelito and chicken pasty from England.
“Our coffee is locally roasted at High Grounds on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore,” said Lam Bui. “He’s a small roaster, not many people are familiar with him, but he has some of his things in Whole Foods now. We work with him a lot, and we might be one of his bigger buyers. He does the good stuff.”
Originally from Miami, Florida, the Bui brothers are Vietnamese who were exposed to a Latin culture and cuisine from their boyhood. They chose to set up shop first in Baltimore because cousin Vo was studying at Johns Hopkins University. His brother was in Florida working on a food truck.
Towson was selected because it’s near Baltimore and the brothers said they did not want to compete with themselves by opening a second Bun Shop in Baltimore. So, they found the current location when they went shopping for a place that had enough space. Towson is continuously growing too, they said.
The Bun Shop, while relatively new, has drawn plenty of newcomers and curious business women and men, especially during the noon hour with its “lunch rush.” It is located around the corner from several banks and the Baltimore County Circuit Court. Local college students, and high school students, also are attracted to the shop, the brothers said.
When customers enter the shop, they have choices of sitting in a quiet study-like area that has tables or at a bar-style table along one wall. Also, there are booths, couches and long expansive tables that encourage group gathering and table sharing. The place is filled with vintage store couches and chairs or furniture hand-welded and put together by Lam.
Caitlin Figueroa, a Towson junior from Long Island, New York, said The Bun Shop is a favorite spot for her. She described herself as a coffee aficionado who drinks coffee at least four times a day with her busy schedule. Now that she’s not at home where it’s easily accessible for her to make her own, she began looking for an alternate to what she was used to.
“I used to buy coffee three times a day while I was on campus,” said Figueroa. “The coffee sometimes is not the best quality. Even when I’m not on campus, I can only buy coffee from Dunkin or Starbucks so much. I’ve learned to cut back so I can have something worth spending money on. That’s what I get here, at The Bun Shop.”
Figueroa said she follows a pescatarian and keto-friendly diet, meaning she mainly eats fish and shellfish but no bread, starches or sugar. She said she struggled to find alternatives to the typical dairy options that common coffee shops offer.
What drew Figueroa to The Bun Shop was its availability of coconut and almond milks. Typically, most franchises provide cream, and varieties of milk – half and half, 1 percent, 2 percent, whole and nonfat milks. She said she also enjoys pouring in her own milk or creamer, which is often something that only occurs at some gas station markets.
In addition to complementing various dietary restrictions, customers said the shop is a great space for students and creators so they can have a space to work. With its quiet atmosphere and soft tunes, students said it is the ideal spot to relax, to come by at any time. Whether it’s just a break from the chaos outside, or studying for an exam, the aromas of brewing coffee and tea, and baking pastries are sure to calm anyone.
Taylor Evick, a Towson freshman from Millsboro, Delaware, said she found The Bun Shop after one of her friends suggested she check out the peaceful atmosphere of the place. As a pre-nursing major, Evick said she spends a fair amount of time studying in Albert S. Cook Library on Towson’s campus or in her dorm room.
“This is my first time here,” said Evick. “I got a mix of some of their loose teas. I believe this is black and green tea. I just added some sugar and lemon. It’s great, and definitely refreshing with the hot weather we’re having outside lately.”
Evick said she enjoys spreading her textbooks out on the tables. Also, she said no one finds it strange that she’s sitting in the same spot for a long time.
Lam Bui said future plans may include collaborating with other businesses, such as The Music Space, to create open-mic night opportunities of local musicians, poets or content creators. They previously held these events at their Baltimore location, which temporarily stopped because of the huge crowds the events would draw. Lam Bui said they hope to resume open-mic nights in May.
The Bun Shop is open until 3 a.m., he said.