Vapouround magazine Special Issue 02 | Page 28

F E AT U R E Are you interested in expanding your vape boutique and if so, how would you expand it? What are biggest challenges about running your own vape boutique? What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about vaping? I would love to have a Cheshire Club on every street corner! Opening new locations, where we can bring our mission and our model to other communities in order to help even more. Two things; the vaping industry itself and the government. My experience has been that the manufacturers, distributors, and shops have spent so much energy constantly pushing new products and flavours rather than building brand loyalty that customers are accustomed to always looking for what’s “new”. We get so many new people in to our shop who have been sold the wrong devices, tanks, and atomizers from other shops or online that they are either not having a good vaping experience, or they are actually unknowingly putting themselves at risk. We are constantly educating customers about device compatibility, liquid quality, and general vaping safety. As for the government, the excessive state and federal laws/regulations – usually associating vaping with cigarette smoking - are quickly becoming a quagmire that impacts both our operations and our customers. The biggest misconception is that vaping is the same as smoking – usually because they “look like” each other, or because they both involve nicotine. I am not against common sense regulation; child-proof packaging, ingredient quality, manufacturing standards, etc. But calling vaping devices and liquids “tobacco products”, constantly reporting that vaping is just as harmful as smoking, and essentially banning all vaping products when it is the most effective life-line for cigarette smokers ever. I kept thinking, I wish there was a vape shop that was upscale, friendly, professional, clean, not filled with vape clouds, and focused on helping people either transition from cigarettes to vaping, or to just manage their nicotine successfully. 26 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE USA 2074 Armory Drive, Santa Rosa, California, USA www.CheshireClub.com The Cheshire Club CheshireVapor CheshireClub