I am allergic to dust, mold and pollen. My husband has COPD and sometimes struggles to breathe. So we took steps to improve the air quality in our home. To figure out what would actually help, I turned to some local shops for guidance.
I chose stores that looked clean and professional. Inside, well-trained staff taught me what we could do to filter our air. They helped me decide which furnace filters, vacuum cleaner, air conditioner and air purifiers to purchase.
I also have plantar fasciitis, a painful foot condition. My doctor told me to stop buying cheap shoes at a big-box store and to find a shop with knowledgeable staff who could advise me on sturdy shoes to properly fit and support my feet.
We have a couple of nice-looking shoe stores where I live. They have attractive wall displays and bright, inviting lighting. Inside, the staff were as helpful as they could be. Plantar fasciitis isn’t something they’re familiar with, so I’m still looking for the right pair of shoes.
I recently read a prominent LinkedIn post that stopped me in my tracks. The writer, an academic in the United Kingdom, described walking past a vape shop that “looks like a modern community pharmacy, with clean blue and white branding, bright lighting and ‘solutions’ language in the window.”
She worried that, amid concerns about youth vaping, this appearance could “risk normalizing” vaping as “healthy” or “professionally endorsed,” rather than “a ‘less harmful but still addictive’ option for current smokers only.”
What would people with such concerns prefer a vape shop to look like? Blacked-out windows, with signs saying, “Danger”?
I’m trying to understand the concern behind that reaction. But I keep coming back to a basic question: What would people with such concerns prefer a vape shop to look like?
Would blacked-out windows, with signs saying, “Danger! Addictive products sold here!” increase their comfort level? And would they apply that standard to shops that sell coffee, sugar, alcohol, video games or lottery tickets? Perhaps they would find a dim storefront, with dingy curtains drawn—located in a back alley, with discreet signage and no products visible—more acceptable.
But what messages would those presentations send to people who stand to gain the most by stepping inside?
I’m not convinced that a bright, professional-looking shop is what draws kids. If anything, a forbidden-fruit vibe can be part of the appeal for some adolescents. Nor is a glass-fronted, brightly lit store an ideal set-up if you’re planning to conduct illegal transactions with underage customers.
But of course, there’s much more to this debate than youth initiation. The part that too often gets ignored is that more than a billion people worldwide smoke, and millions die from smoking-related disease every year. When vaping is an alternative that doesn’t kill, it should be normalized.
I’m 67 years old. I quit smoking with the help of vapes, when nothing else had worked. When I go into a vape shop, I’m not looking for a clinic, but I am looking for a place that feels welcoming, safe and competent, because switching away from smoking is serious business.
Let vape shops look like responsible and inviting adult establishments. Because people who smoke deserve a door they’re comfortable walking through.
A clean, professional shop makes me feel like I’m less likely to be sold junk, less likely to be misled, and more likely to get practical help from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.
I’m proud that I was finally able to quit smoking after decades. I’m grateful that the right products existed to help me do that, and grateful for the advice I received. I want this life-changing opportunity to be available to others—our neighbors, families and community members—in an open, welcoming way. Not in a stigmatizing way that treats safer options like contraband, sold in places that scream “keep out.”
If I’m honest, that LinkedIn post stung. I don’t think the author meant harm, and in any case, the sentiments are far from unique to her. But the question of Should a vape shop be allowed to look like that? lands like a judgment on where I shop and what products I use, as if my efforts not to smoke are something wrong or shameful.
The UK has been a leader in meeting people where they are, and I hope that never stops. There are hospitals with vape shops in them, and yes, they look “pharmacy-like” if you choose to interpret it that way. Some hospitals and stop smoking services supportively provide vapes to people who smoke.
Let vape shops look like responsible and inviting adult establishments. Because people who smoke deserve a door they’re comfortable walking through.
Photograph (adapted) by E-Liquids UK on Unsplash