Earlier this week, the Cloud City vape shop in east London announced it would be holding a party on Saturday night (31 May) to give disposable vapes a send off.
As tickets to the event approach a sell-out, Convenience Store spoke to Mamun Chowdhury, who owns the shop in Whitechapel, to get the full lowdown…
Who came up with the idea for the party?
“Quit smoking campaigners Riot Activist approached me with the idea of a party to countdown the end of disposable vapes and I was instantly into it. We had rapper Big Narsty in the shop launching a Monopoly board with us recently, but I think this might top it! Disposables have been a great tool to help adult smokers quit but they’re wasteful, bad for the environment and we’re excited to give them a proper send off.”
Are you happy about the ban?
“We support it. Millions of vapes are discarded every week, often ending up in landfill, they’re terrible for the environment and I do think the ban will go some way to stopping this issue. For adults that were using disposables to help them quit smoking, there are so many other tools that can still help, come in to shop, have a chat with us and we can advise best alternatives.”
Do you think the wave of new rechargeable vapes can fill the gap disposables leave behind?
“I’m not worried about there being a replacement. There are so many products on the market for adult vapers, we stock everything from closed pod systems to eliquids and refillables. That being said, rechargeable devices are a great option that bridge the gap between a disposable and refillable device - Riot Labs for example have released Connex which handles like a disposable but is rechargeable, and that’s been flying off the shelves.”
Are you still seeing people who are newcomers to vapes in your stores, and is it odd they will never now be able to buy disposables?
“Disposable vapes have dominated the market for years and have been the natural go to for smokers looking to quit. But I don’t think it’s weird some people will never experience them - whether you’re after a flavour hit or a safer alternative to smoking, there are so many brilliant devices on the market.”
How will you cope with the low visibility from all the vape clouds in your shop on Saturday night?
“We’ve got the legendary Kurupt FM’s Danny Rankin on the decks counting down to midnight when the ban comes in, so if the vape clouds get too thick we advise all attendees to follow the bass to make their way round.”
Fifty exclusive tickets are available for the party, which can be reserved for free at: https://rioteliquid.com/pages/disposable-ban-vape-shop-party
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