I have great luck staining Poplar. I used to look down on it as a cheap
wood but It is so easy to work and stains to look like anything I want,
I really like it now. Find a commercial wood supplier and you'll pay
about 1/2 as much as you do at HD.

Here is an example of a Poplar project
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/JL/JL-BC-POP.

I used General Finishes Rosewood stain with shellac over that. It's a
water based finish so be sure to raise the grain with watre and knock
it down first. Woodcraft carries the General Finishes products.