Kathy Gill and Mark Nieman opened their second Premium Vapors Inc. store at 409 Water Street in Chardon earlier this month, providing smokers in Geauga…
Kathy Gill and Mark Nieman opened their second Premium Vapors Inc. store at 409 Water Street in Chardon earlier this month, providing smokers in Geauga County with a testing station for the increasingly popular electronic cigarettes.
E-cigarettes aren’t new. They have been available for several years, Gill said at the ribbon cutting Aug. 11 on the welcoming front porch of the small store.
The advantage of visiting Premium Vapors is personal service and being able to try out the testing station, where customers can check out the many flavors as well as decide what level of nicotine they want to use.
“Some people like zero nicotine,” she said, but others want the full dose of 24 milligrams.
One of the selling points of the e-cigarettes is they can help a person stop smoking tobacco gradually by “vaping” the atomized liquid, she said.
“(Vapers) may start at 24 milligrams and work their way down,” Gill said. “E-cigarettes may help smokers to stay off (tobacco) cigarettes. Whatever it takes.”
But there are no promises associated with switching from smoking to vaping.
“This is not a miracle,” she added.
Gill and Nieman found, at their e-cigarette store on Vine Street in Willoughby, that younger adults are using the electronic alternative to avoid starting on tobacco, she said.
With a pack of Marlboros costing about $6, the e-cigarettes present an alternate nicotine source at about the same price.
“They’re safe, clean and effective,” Gill said, adding she has known people who smoked tobacco for 35 to 40 years and weren’t able to quit.
“They tried the nicotine patch and gum nothing worked,” she said. “But they quit with the e-cigarettes.”
On their website, www.premiumvaporsinc.com, readers learn Gill and Nieman were neighbors who researched the e-cigarettes and the market and decided to go into business together.
They opened the Willoughby store in 2013, touting quality products in a relaxed setting.
The testing room with sales counters resembles a cozy living room, which makes it more fun and personal than a mini-mart or gas station, where e-cigarettes are often bought, Gill said.
They also sell basic starter kits for $59.95, as well as coils and a variety of vaping equipment.
The array of flavors, like vanilla custard and Maui (pineapple/mango blend), can be tested before purchase.
The jury is still out about smoking inside public places. Some buisnesses allow it, others don’t. As of their grand opening, the government had not made a decision yet.
Nieman recommended erring on the side of caution.
“You can vape in some places, but it is better to ask,” he said.
