App store won't open on Macbook Pro (10.9.5)

Hi, I have a Macbook Pro and the App store won't open. To be honest, it has never opened since I've owned the computer (purchased Dec 2013), but I don't live near an Apple store and I can't stomach paying tons of money at a repair shop right now (broke grad student). Basically, I click the app on the dock and the app bounces once and never opens. Long click opens the menu but selecting "open" there does nothing either. I've done everything from hours of phone support to verifying/repairing my computer disk in Disk Repair in the computer's Recovery Mode. I've gone through Library > Preferences and checked out the codes...all suggestions from apple forums. It says it checks for updates and there are none to be made, but I can't download anything apple-verified onto my computer and not all web-based applications work...can't even update the software bc the dang App store won't open. No error message or anything, just one bounce and nothing.

Nothing else seems to be affected - I've had some difficulty signing in to Appleid in the past, but none now. I just don't know what to do short of driving over an hour to a nearby town for an Apple store. Has anyone experienced this? Have a solution?