What's your local vape shop like? :)

General The Pub
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I don’t go to vape shops anymore. There was one that I liked and visited every week. They had a decent selection of e-liquids, equipment and supplies. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Once I started DIYing I continued my visits mostly to see what they got in and to get ideas. They were always interested in what I was working on and the owner wanted to strike up a deal to have me develop recipes for the shop and have a lab mix them up.

Unfortunately things went south. The owner wasn’t ordering much and the employees weren’t getting work schedules or paid on time. I offered to help him out having ordering and shipping/receiving experience through Kmart and payroll, book keeping and HR experience through my father martial arts schools, but he wasn’t interested. One day he just closed the doors and that was it. I guess towards the end it was lacking leadership.

Another “vape shop” eventually opened at the site and they were even selling some of the product he left behind, but it wasn’t the same. They weren’t anywhere near as friendly as the old crew. Hell, they were downright rude. They acted as if I had come in just to annoy them. And instead of the cases of new mods, tanks and RDAs, most of the space was consumed with “vintage” clothing they were trying to sell. Seriously they were just t-shirts and hoodies with their logo, nothing special and definitely not high quality. The e-liquid selection was not impressive. Nothing new, just what is popular. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but they is a difference between locally popular, nationally popular and globally popular. But it looks like they just went online and typed in “what are the most popular brands of e-liquid” and started ordering blindly. The employees didn’t even know what half the liquids were suppose to taste like. And if was filthy. I couldn’t believe how dirty it had gotten in 4 months. I went into the bathroom to clean my coils and, well, I said fuck it, I’ll just use them as is. This “vape shop” is missing the fucking point.

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63

When I started vaping 7 years ago, there were 3 vape shops in my city of population 600,000. Now there are 11. They range from one large and dominant shop with 3 locations, to small shops with 1 clerk and maybe 400 sq feet. I have not kept track of how many have come and gone.

Most have tasting bars. Seven years ago, the sample tasting flavors were about half tobacco and half fruits and candies. Now, only 3 or 4 of their samples are tobacco, 20 to 30 non-tobacco. I find that an interesting trend - moving away from former smokers to more focus on newbies?

The one thing they have in common is that staff are all under 30. I’m over 70. When I first started I got fairly good service. In fact, I noticed that most of the customers in the shops back then were well over 40. Now, I get ignored, and I only see young, cloud chasing customers in the shops. I sometimes wonder if that’s because the old folk market is fully converted to vaping (as much as will be) and have moved to on-line. Maybe the main customer base for shops is now young, new vapers in their first year.

The hardware lines are quite limited, which is understandable. The market is saturated with devices and turnover is significant. A shop simply can’t stock a wide range of hardware and remain profitable. None of the shops I’ve visited in the last year appear to be supporting DIY. No support for coil building, no DIY tools being sold, yet I see others reporting that shops do that in their area.

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It’s funny… tobaccos never really did it for me. I quit smoking thanks to a good vanilla custard. Tobaccos only entered my stash after about a year… more to see what the hype is about though because I mainly vape bakery and fruits nowadays. I like creams a lot too but custards have gone way down on my wish list.

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@RobQ Nails in the coffin …

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66

I live in the US, California and let me tell you its a hot mess. Years ago the stores were while having high prices at least helpful. Would listen, let you try things, gave you options and explained a lot of stuff. I think without them I would have never switched, because I tried stop smoking years and years on and off, nothing would work. Even tried the blue egics but no results.

Nowadays the stores around here don’t give a damn, no matter what you say to them, they going to sell you a smok mod with tfv8 or bby or even tfv 12 tank. Followed up by their most expensive juice they are carrying, mostly naked100 or vapetesia and dinner lady.

Mtl you wanted? NP here’s the nautilus but its not great, the setup I recommended gets you there faster and guaranteed. By then you spend already 200 bucks and won’t add that to it, and the clerk did mention you can use a 510 drip tip, which he sold you too for an extra $15.

So I mostly avoid these stores, but from time to time I go if I can’t express ship an order and need that item.
I do however visit vape stores around Europe when visiting, I like the more welcomed ambience and knowledge, they rather share and compare with you items and regulations in Europe vs US than pushing sells and specific brands. Wish our stores would take note.

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67

UK here, and we have several in my town. The one I visited before going DIY used to be full of older dudes on a sofa blowing so many clouds you could barely see. The store had a refit and took the sofas out, presumably to get rid of them. I think now vaping is becoming so common, the stores are more conscious of the image they portray to mainstream customers. At least in my area, that’s how it’s going.

I think the vape industry is still so young and growing so fast, everyone was getting in on the act. So you’re left with either the cloud-bro store which can be quite intimidating for a newbie, or the store someone opened with some startup capital chasing the big $'s that come with selling juice for $15 per 10ml, but employ people with little product knowledge.

New markets always take a while to settle down.

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68

I actually like the possibility of sitting down, trying a few flavors or devices… but I agree that it’s not the most inviting view when you see a shop filled with vapor that smells of a candy shop even if you walk by. IMO the shop should be clear of vapor but a separate ventilated area for vaping is more than welcome :slight_smile:

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Agreed and reading back, I probably qualify as an older dude as well now anyway!

There needs to be a balance. People were starting to treat it as a hangout spot, which I think was putting people off. True though that I like the concept of trying devices and flavours on-site; I mean if you can’t have a vape in a vape shop where else can you? :rofl:

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70

All shops I have been too, (at least before the FDA/laws/clean air act) came in, it’d be a hot box basically and you’d have to use a walking stick to find your way to the counter, but the good shops are the ones I see with some kind of ventaliation system set up like negative ventilation to push the air out. One store had an installed system (waste of money?) and the others just have a fan in the back door. I have seen ones that say, “get that vape outta here” and get shut down promptly but its a low hanging fruit basically, the good stores are at the top.

My store is a hangout, some folks are really easy going and then others are brown nosers on brands or labels lmao

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71

In my area we have 3 vape shops:

  1. the various tobacco shops that sell cigalikes.
  2. the overpriced vape stop chain, they sells devices coils and premium e-liquid.
  3. The vapor station (2 locations), they sell many devices, coils, house and premium e-liquid.

#2 above I think they make the prices up depending on how you’re dressed, nothing in the store has a price tag on it, and everything is too expensive. The store is mostly empty of customers, and the staff is not friendly or helpful. I have been into each of their locations once and don’t go back.

#3 has a pretty friendly staff, they will help you make a coil, they sell house liquids, and anything you can think of, and its as much a hangout as a vape store. They have a huge juice bar where you can try any house or premium liquid. They are not a low price store, but it is a fun place to go in and chat with the staff and show off Joyetech samples as I get them.

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Sorry I’ve been so long in this reply Fishaddic420 my mother graduated from Moorseville,I usually get my coils from the people who run the vape shop in your town if I’m not mistaken I’m a hick in the sticks just outside of Greencastle.

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I live thirty minutes from there and I WISH they were in Pontiac, close enough anyway. You hit the nail on the head though. I hate wild bills with a passion. I haven’t been in a long while and then I went in the other day and all they had was Smok products. I was looking at there juice and the guy behind the counter grabbed a bottle he saw me looking at and OPENED it. He opened like 4 bottles until I finally told him to stop doing that. I felt like it was a pressure technique. We opened this bottle of juice, so now you should buy it.

Totally agree.

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Maybe I am evil but i would have just kept looking at more and more

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75

Greetings to you all from South Africa,

I am new here and I thought it would be a great idea to introduce myself here. Please forgive me if that is inappropriate.

Getting onto the subject of this discussion, I have been vaping for about 2 and a half years now. I bought my first little kit at a general store selling E-Cigarettes and juices. It came in a little box and they had no idea how it worked. I had to go home and try to read this microscopic little manual to assemble it, fill it and use it. After about 6 months the coil died, and I ended up having to buy another one. I was still smoking very heavily. I only used to vape on the sneak in an aircraft. I travel a lot.

About a year ago, a new guy joined the company I work for and during lunch time he pulled out this monster thing and started vaping it. Once we had got to know each other, I asked him where he got the monster. He was quite happy to introduce a few vape shops around Pretoria that I could visit.

I went to the vape shop that he said was his favorite. The first time I went there,I walked right past it. All I could see through the windows was a grey mist. Once I realized that I had passed it I turned around and did a back track and on the windows of the misty shop was a poster saying "Stop smoking, Start vaping.

They were absolutely fantastic. A very nice lady helped me and I said, “I am looking for an E-Cigarette for dummies”. She asked if I had a budget and I said no, and low and behold she came out with 2 little boxes.Once contained the atomizer and the other had the mod in it, She showed me how to break the atomizer down, prime the wick and reinstall the coil. Then she showed me how to insert the batteries and said a lot about battery safety. I was amazed.

Now it was time to choose an E-Juice. Nooo, they don’t open bottles of E-Juice for you. They have a little rack that has a vast amount of pee-filled atomizers that one can screw onto their mod and test free of charge, If you don’t have a mod to test it on, they will lend you a mod.

Now, I am the proud of several mods and RTA;s. I have completely kicked cigarettes and I want to start making my own E-Juices, and that is why I am here now.

I hope that you enjoyed my little story. Please forgive me for being so long winded.

Best regards to you all.

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Welcome to ELR @Gandalf4!!

Very happy to hear you found a way to stop smoking, and equally as happy that you found your way to ELR!

There is a ton of great reading to get you started in DIY in the beginner’s section. And, as you are finding, elsewhere on the site. :wink:

Make yourself at home!

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Thank you so much Sparkslfly for the warm welcome. I plan on learning as much from you boffins as I can, and hopefully once I have some experience making juices that I don’t suffocate on, I will be able to contribute a little bit.

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Yeah, welcome to ELR, great story you told here and success with your mixing.
And for moments that lovely lady isn’t available, this is a great community here, lots of people to ask questions to if you have any :slight_smile:

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Welcome again @Gandalf4

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We have several but ive only been to one, ive been to a gas station that sells lots of products too but they are kinda shady.

Back when i got tired of playing around with cigalikes a friend told me of a fella who was about to open a vape shop. I drove by it everyday until they opened, that was the last day i had a smoke. I must have researched for weeks before going in there and in the hour i was there i learned more than in all those weeks. D00d was so knowledgeable about everything that it became a hangout for awhile.

They moved to a much larger location just a couple months later. The place had some great furniture, low classic rock playing in the background and it was very clean. The fella that sold me the gear to quit smoking made sure all of his employees knew as much as they could and made sure that they worked with the customer to get them what they needed.

I kept going in about once a week and one day Chris handed me a box full of flavorings, VG/PG and nic. Then he took me over to sit down and discuss where/how to begin.

Not only did he get me off the smokes, he gave me all the tools i needed to get other people off smokes. Even if it didnt mean more business for himself, passing on knowledge and helping people was all he cared about.

I hadnt been in there for a few years as i found my places to help people online. I always missed the family atmosphere he created.

Chris passed away a few months ago but his legacy continues. His employees are still there doing what he taught them, helping people.

tl;dr Our main shop is pretty awesome.

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@Ken_O_Where Do you remember the name of the shop ? Do they have an online presence ?

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