A Walk Through The Vapor Room

When walking into the Vapor Room on Water Street, the first thing you notice is a distinct smell. Those are the various flavors you can buy for electronic cigarettes.

The building that the Vapor Room currently resides in used to be an old firehouse, as the memorabilia lining the walls indicate. A large table sits front and center, displaying the different components of the electronic cigarette and the various flavors that the Vapor Room offers. They have traditional flavors, such as spearmint, smooth menthol, peppermint and orange creamsicle. But they also have exotic flavors such as piña colada, s’mores and buttery popcorn. No matter what tastes their customers are looking for, they have something to satisfy them.

The Vapor Room has been in Frostburg for three years now, originally being on Broadway Street. While having been online for four years, the Vapor Room opened another store in Cumberland about two years ago, and just recently opened another store in Morgantown, W.Va. Frostburg is their main base of operations, currently employing anywhere from fifteen to twenty workers. They ship their products all across the country, including Puerto Rico, and even across the border to Mexico.

The two store owners, Josh and Jess, who are now married, were first introduced to e-cigarettes after they started dating. Jess was severely allergic to cigarette smoke, and that was when they discovered the benefits of electronic cigarettes. Flora, the manager of the Vapor Room, smoked for eighteen years and “heard through word of mouth” about e-cigs. She had tried almost everything to quit smoking, but nothing worked until she was introduced to e-cigarettes. She was very thankful that she was. Flora said she would do whatever was best for her child, and stands by that. She also credits e-cigs for getting her back into running. Flora was also the Vapor Room’s very first employee. When talking to her, she was both polite and very knowledgeable about everything in the store. She worked at the Vapor Room only once a week at first, but as the store’s popularity grew, it eventually needed her more and more until she was promoted to manager.

When interviewing several people about the Vapor Room, everyone had positive things to say. One elderly woman, who was there looking to buy an e-cig for the first time, said she had just found out about them, and after some persuasion, was willing to try it for a while. Flora explained that they get a lot of first time customers and repeat customers. She explained that Boston University had done a study that found e-cigs were “a thousand times safer than cigarettes.” When the Vapor Room gets new customers, Flora said they are very accommodating to what each individual person needs. When talking to another woman who had her young daughter in the store with her, she said that she stopped smoking when she found out she was pregnant, and e-cigs have helped her slowly get off smoking permanently. She said that if it weren’t for her young daughter, she would probably still be smoking. Flora said that e-cigs “work really well as a replacement” to real cigarettes.

Flora understands the benefits of e-cigs, but she also understands why some people and places still find it offensive. She explained that numerous studies have found no negative effects on second hand electronic smoking, but says it has more to do with the idea of smoking in general than anything else.

As for flavors, they currently have over eighty different kinds. They also have juices to order as well, although they have “no custom mix” for particular flavors. The Vapor Room is always trying out new flavors and will sometimes let their employees test them out as a trial run as well. If they think of a new flavor that customers may like, they will try it. Some of the Vapor Room’s most popular flavors include French vanilla coffee, Samoa, sweet tarts, and juicy peach. They are always researching new flavors.

The Vapor Room is quickly becoming a part of Frostburg, and with its expanding locations, it seems like they are here to stay. The employees are kind and very knowledgeable, and if you are a smoker, and are interested in trying electronic cigarettes out for the first time, the Vapor Room is the place to go.

For more information, visit their website, www.thevaporroom.net.

Electronic cigarettes are composed of three parts: the cartridge, the atomizer and the battery. The cartridge is the mouthpiece of the electronic cigarette, which holds a filler for the nicotine liquid. This liquid is made up of a solution of water, a particular flavor, trace amounts of nicotine, which varies in strength depending on a person’s nicotine consumption, and a safe food additive, which is called Propylene Glycol. Propylene Glycol is a vaporizable base used to dilute the nicotine liquid. This is commonly used in medicine and toothpaste.

The atomizer is the main component of the device. Batteries for electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs, are both rechargeable and lightweight, making the e-cig convenient to carry around. The battery powers the atomizer, which heats up, vaporizing a nicotine-solution into smoke. An atomizer can last for months, as long as it is well kept and liquid is kept in it. The LED light at the end of an e-cig acts as a sort of indicator. When the person inhales, the LED lights up to act as the cherry on the end of a real cigarette, and to let the person know it’s working (and it will begin to flash when the e-cig needs to be recharged).