Some people blow smoke, others blow vapor.
The vaping trend will make its way to downtown
Kilgore soon with Wakie Taylor and husband Bandy Clinton’s new store, Innovapetions.
The term “vaping” is likely new to many in Taylor and Clinton’s native
Kilgore, but it gives smokers an alternative to traditional cigarette smoking.
Although it will be a store to sell the personal vaporizers and
accessories, the main goal for Taylor and Clinton is to spread awareness
and educate people about vaping as an alternative to smoking.
“The products we sell are just a bonus to us,” she said. “The biggest benefit is just you’re saving lives.”
The action of smoking is there, but the only similarity to smoking is the nicotine.The cost of vaping is less than smoking, especially for people who might currently smoke multiple packs a week, Taylor said.
“Compared to smoking cigarettes, you’re going to save money for sure,” she said.
Before she quit after 17 years of smoking, Taylor said she was
smoking one pack a day, and spending nearly $200 per month. With the
vaporizer, Taylor said a starter kit will probably start at about $30 –
for the vaporizer, a small e-liquid mixture, a battery and a charger –
and it can go up from there.
Not only is vaping less expensive over time than regular cigarettes,
but the vaporizers also contain four ingredients instead of the hundreds
of chemicals in regular cigarettes, she says.
The four ingredients are combined to create an e-liquid used in the
personal vaporizers. The liquid has a foodgrade base of either propylene
glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG), which can be found in many
personal care items. Some people are allergic to PG, though, so they can
have a base made completely of VG, creating a similar base but without
the allergen.
The base is then combined with three ingredients – nicotine, water and flavoring.
Some people will eventually find themselves ‘vaping’ with a mixture
devoid of nicotine. These are usually people who were light smokers
before becoming vapers or who have stepped down their nicotine intake to
to a point at which they no longer need it. The vaporizers are not
cessation devices, though, Taylor said.
She emphasized, though, that she was not encouraging non-smokers to
try vaping for fun. They are promoting vaping as an alternative to
smoking for people who are currently smokers.
With many different flavors to choose from, Taylor said she will
blend the liquids in the store, so it will be whatever the customer
needs.
Rothmans cigarettes.
“You’re getting flavor plus the smell,” Clinton said.
More cigarettes.
Taylor wants Innovapetions to be the go-to place for people looking to start vaping in
Kilgore.
The service and advice she and Clinton got at different vape stores
when they first started was good, and she wants to continue that through
their education on vaping, she said. It can be a little complicated at
first, Taylor said.
“I will be here to help them understand how to use [their] equipment and how to use [their] e-liquid,” she said.
A lot of the learning is a hands-on process, Clinton said.
Taylor started vaping about a month ago, and she said she tried one
of the tobacco company’s e-cigarettes. It did not have enough nicotine
to curb her cigarette craving.
It is the customization and control Taylor has with her personal
vaporizer that she likes best. She can choose the nicotine level in her
vaporizer as well as the flavor.
The e-cigarettes from the major tobacco companies do not have the customization
The flavors will vary, but she does not know what flavors they will be offering yet.
“Everything is completely customizable,” Clinton said.
Taylor and Clinton have gotten positive feedback from the surrounding businesses and community, Taylor said.
Taylor plans to sell starter kits, “mods, and everything in between.”
At first, Taylor said she will put up a curtain to divide the room in
half with only the front half open to the public. After they see the
response, Taylor said she hopes to open the back half as a sitting and
lounge area with Wi-Fi and a self-serve coffee bar.
“I’m hoping to get a lot of the college kids to come down here and stop smoking and switch to the alternative,” she said.
Although there are no regulations yet on who can buy personal
vaporizers, Taylor said she decided her store would not sell vaporizers
izers to anyone under 18 years old. And just like when trying to buy
cigarettes, customers will have to present an I.D. to prove they are old
enough to purchase a vaporizer.
“I don’t want a kid coming in here, buying them just because they’re cool, and then getting hooked on nicotine,” she said.
Taylor is working on purchasing inventory and will be setting up a
website and Facebook for Innovapetions. In addition to an online
presence, Clinton said he hopes news about the store’s opening will
spread through word of mouth.
Clinton, a native of
Kilgore, said he would love to see downtown grow, and said it would be great if Innovapetions tions could help the area grow.
“We want to have that warm, inviting, comforting feel when you come in,” Taylor said.
