For a long time, vaping was an extremely niche market. Used as an alternative to smoking, it had one flavor (tobacco) and battery life was basically non-existent.
With advances in battery life and other technology, in the past 10 years vaping has gone from a multi-million to a multi-billion dollar industry.
There are more than 3,500 vaping shops or cafes in the U.S. Battleground Vapors, on 595 Hillsboro Road suite 339, – in the Independence Square shopping center- is one of them.
Started in 2014 by Chris Green, the shop has steadily increased its sales, as more and more smokers switch to vaping. The store seconds as a lounge and meeting place, one part hookah bar, other part vaping emporium. Four employees- one of whom is Chris’ dad, all full time, stand behind the counters ready to help from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Smokers still far out-number vapers- about 45 million to 2.5 million in the U.S., as of 2015, according to the Center for Disease Control. But, according to the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, 29 percent of smokers who have tried vaping, or e-smoking, as it is called, no longer smoked cigarettes after six months.
There are health questions surrounding vaping- mostly, open questions of long-term effects because long-term studies have not been performed yet, but to sum up the scientific consensus: vaping is not nearly as unhealthy as smoking, and certainly contains non of the carcinogens found in tobacco smoke.
Also, there are legal questions surrounding what, until recently, was an unregulated industry. The FDA is beginning to try to regulate products and stores, which has been controversial so far- the vaping industry claims it is big tobacco trying to put a threat out of business, the other side argues that, among other things, vaping is most attractive to youth. In 2013, three times as many teenagers had tried cigarettes as tried vaping. In 2015, according to Science Magazine, those numbers flipped, with 16 percent- 2.39 million- of all U.S. teens having tried vaping, compared to 1.37 million who tried cigarettes.
So, despite uncertainty in the future of the industry, Battleground has continued to thrive and grow.
Most of their new business comes from smokers looking to switch, but repeat customers make up a large part of their business model.
Like many vape shops, Battleground sells both the hardware and the e-liquid, or juice. The vaporizer itself comes in many sizes, shapes and power levels- the more power, the more vapor. It is two parts- a battery-case with a control panel and a tank, which holds the juice. Sizes vary from a cigarette-sized vaporizer to something about the size and shape of a stick of deodorant. Cost also varies. Some set ups can cost several hundred dollars, but most first-time buyers opt for something in the $40 to $50 range.
Battleground stocks several brands and styles, tending to see what sells and focusing on that. The same strategy applies to the e-liquid they sell.
When they first opened, they- like a lot of other shops do- strongly marketed their own “house” e-liquid. Over time, however, they have turned into a sort of clearing house for the best-of-the-best, or most popular juices, nationwide. Certain companies focus solely on producing the juice and selling it business-to-business, with names like Charlie’s Chalkdust, Kosmic Karma, Cuttwood. These types of nationally-known brands have become the majority of what Battleground sells now.
This model serves to bring in repeat customers and to provide full-spectrum products for those who vape.
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