Business Profile: White Plains Vapors
For smokers on the path to quitting, flavors like Andromeda Fresh Blueberries and Pomegranate, Astro Granny Smith Apple, and Pluto Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe with a finish of Bubble Gum by Space Jam Juice are on the e-cigarette e-liquids menu at White Plains Vapors along with Peaches and Sweet Cream, and coffee flavors and one specialty with a hint of strawberry fields.
The shop, located at 210 Mamaroneck Avenue, is owned and operated by Michael and Carla Bowers, a couple with the mission to help their customers stop smoking.
There is a lounge area where customers can try different flavors, inhaling the smoke-free flavorful ingredients and investigating the different types of vapor pens on sale.
There is a definite “coolness” to the atmosphere at White Plains Vapors, where a continual stream of customers comes and goes, each at a different point along the path to putting tar and nicotine cigarettes in their past.
There seems to be no one particular type of patron. “We see elderly couples, attorneys, government officials, even members of the military come into the shop,” Michael explained.
One such customer had investigated White Plains Vapors a little over three months ago at the suggestion of his girlfriend who had insisted he stop smoking. For years he had tried and could not do it. On the day The White Plains Examiner did the interview he was ordering his first supply of e-liquid refills without nicotine. He claimed his addiction to cigarettes was gone and in its place he had a new hobby. “There’s no smoking anymore,” he said. “Now it’s vaping.”
The Bowers offer a starter kit that includes the vaping pen, which has a cylinder for the battery to heat a coil, which in turn heats the non-toxic glycol or glycerin solution in a vial that becomes the flavorful vapor. For the advanced hobbyist, pen components can be purchased separately – varying degrees of temperature and fluid amount create different intensities to accommodate different tastes and amount of vapor.
Refills and new vials or bottles can be purchased in 15 ml and 10 ml sizes. The flavors can be ordered with 24 mg to 0 mg of nicotine.
The couple also offers their own line of flavors – there are about 40 to 50 different choices – called Luci’s Elixir, named for Carla’s mother who died of cancer from inhaling second-hand smoke several years ago.
The Bowers currently live in New Jersey but are planning a move to White Plains to be near their four-month old business.
Michael, who was a smoker for 20 years, said he got the idea to open an e-cigarette shop when he was in St. Louis. “The industry exploded out in California about two years ago. Like banks in White Plains there are about three different e-cigarette shops on every street.” Michael said. “I looked around to see what was here, but there really was nothing,” he said, adding that most shops in the e-cigarette business in the area offer only a very limited supply of flavors, nothing like the extensive collection he and Carla have developed.
Both Michael and Carla acknowledge the controversial nature of e-cigarettes. “It’s about having a healthy choice,” Carla said.
For customers with questions the Bowers suggest they check out The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association at CASAA.org where they can find information and research reports.
White Plains Vapors will only sell their e-cigarettes to people 18 and older and they make it very clear that vaping is not intended as a treatment for nicotine dependency.
To find out more visit wpvapors.com or call 914-358-9777. Carla and Michael are happy to explain how the technology works and the benefits, which include no teeth stains, no standing out in the cold and rain, savings of up to 80 percent on smoking costs, and vaping is permitted in most public environments.
