A graduate of Smithsburg (Md.) Senior High School, Bolland took classes for a year at Hagerstown Junior College.
He hadn't planned on opening his own business so fast.
Originally in search of a flea market where he could set up his own sports card booth, Bolland and his father stumbled upon TV Baseball Cards at the same location in Waynesboro one day.
Bolland recognized the owner, Vaughn Thompson, as the same owner of a Boonsboro, Md. sports card shop that he used to patronize every day as a young boy.
"I used to bug him to death," Bolland said.
It turns out that Thompson wanted to sell the Waynesboro store because he didn't have enough time to run it.
Realizing the potential opportunity, Bolland began "hanging out" at the store every chance he could get and Thompson taught him everything he knew about running a sports card business.
Now on his own, except for an accountant who does the bookkeeping, Bolland said he's had his ups and downs running the business, but has learned how to make his own deals.
"You've got to know what you're buying," Bolland said, who's most proud of his 1986 Michael Jordan rookie sticker worth $100.
The teen is also pretty popular among his friends and his two younger brothers, Carl, 18, and Glenn, 15, who like to help out at the store when they can.
"They think it's pretty cool," Bolland said. "I just tell them I'm having fun doing this and I'm breaking even so far."
Tim's Baseball Cards offers a variety of sports cards and other sports memorabilia, including autographed baseballs and sports magazines. Every two Saturdays, Bolland holds a sports card auction from the inventory displayed on the "bid board."
Besides running his sports card store Monday through Friday from 10 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 to 3 p.m., Bolland also works part-time at Hardee's and Sheetz Inc.
"I need all the money I can bring in right now," Bolland said. "I keep throwing it into this place, buying more inventory and everything."
