When Trevor Chernier and his wife saw the sign from the street he thought, “What am I doing?”
In front of them stood an apartment building where they were directed to get what they were after.
“We were like, is this illegal?” Chernier said with a laugh.
They went up to the apartment a year ago and got what they wanted- a vape starter kit and have been going back ever since.
Queen City Vapes, begun by Mike Smider, is seeing a steady stream of customers like Chernier who are looking for an alternative to smoking tobacco. His phone has been constantly ringing with people wanting to book appointments to buy his product. He says his online store has quadrupled in sales since he started it.
“I can’t even go shopping get groceries without my phone ringing...you guys open today? Yeah come on by,” said Smider.
Vaping, otherwise known as e-cigarettes, is a smoking alternative. Vapor is inhaled through a battery powered device. It heats the e-liquid, normally an aerosol base which may or may not contain nicotine, and mimics the act of smoking.
Some people choose a dose of nicotine that is the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes per day while others will choose a lower dose. It depends on the level they are used to and if they are looking to kick the habit completely.
When Smider wanted to quit smoking he considered vaping as an option to ease him off it, but at the time, there was no place in the city to purchase the e-liquid and vaporizers. In October 2013 he started an online store to fill the void. Soon after, he moved Queen City Vapes into his apartment.
Others have seen the appeal of vaping and set up shop in Regina. Since Queen City Vapes popped up at least three other vape businesses have opened. One of them popped up right next to the location Smider and his business partner wanted for Queen City Vapes.
Smider now plans to move the business out of his apartment and into an auto-body shop. Plans are in the works to combine both the businesses, having Queen City Vapes as a store-within-a store type model.
The close competition does not deter him. Smider recently quit his job at Sasktel, one of Canada’s top 100 employers for 14 years straight, to run his business full time.
“I’m actually losing business because people will call me while I’m at work and I can’t answer my phone while I’m at work and yeah, so, I want to do this and that’s it,” said Smider.
Part of the reason that Smider has had reservations from opening a store front business is that he is worried the effects future regulations could have on vaping shops. Vaping is still fairly new and the effects have not been fully explored.
Health Canada does not prohibit selling e-cigarettes and vaping products. But, they caution Canadians about using them because nicotine is addicting. However, there are steps being made on the federal level to look into the risks of using the products. On March 10, 2015, the Federal Minister of Health asked the Federal Standing Committee on Health to study the potential risks and benefits of e-cigarettes.
The ministry of health in Saskatchewan is currently monitoring Health Canada’s approach to these products. In a statement the Ministry of Health said as e-cigarettes are relatively new products, more research is needed to evaluate both positive and negative health impacts associated with their use.
So far they have not implemented any regulations in the sales of e-cigarettes and are not planning on it.
“At this time, the province is not considering introducing any legislation regarding e-cigarettes before this federal review is complete,” the ministry of health spokesperson,” Tyler McMurchy, said in an e-mail.
Customers keep coming to Smider’s door regardless of the government’s warning. Like Chernier and Smider, many find that conventional quit smoking aids don’t work and they view vaping as a healthier alternative.
“I’ve never run a business before right and I’ve learned a lot in the past year and I think honestly I’m really going to enjoy doing this,” said Smider.
