Letter To A Local Establishment

[DB2K]

I wrote this letter to see if a local coffee house franchise would explicitly allow vaping in their locations.

I'll follow up with what they come back with. I'm hoping that we can tweak this letter to make it sort of a form letter to send out to our favorite local hot spots.

Explicit permission and even a vinyl "The use of personal vaporizers is allow here" window sticker they can place above the "No Smoking" sign seems like the logical progression.

Letter below...

Personal vaporizers (PVs), more commonly refereed to as e-cigarettes, are quickly becoming the go to devices as a "stop smoking" aide. I have been "vaping" for the past eight months. My first day with a PV was the last day I smoked a cigarette... and I had a 2-pack a day addiction.

This is starting to sound like spam, so I'll get on with it.

I am starting a local Dayton vaping club and we are looking for vaping friendly establishments in the Dayton area. Being a coffee lover, and a regular to Boston Stoker, I thought a BS would be the perfect place to hold monthly meet-ups.

However, as I always do, I would like permission before vaping inside any Boston Stoker establishment.

If you are unfamiliar with PVs, or e-cigs, let me briefly explain what they are...

The device consist of a battery and an atomizer. The device is generally the same size as a cigarette. When the the device is activated, the heating element in the atomizer rapidly boils a liquid consisting of pharmaceutical grade propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG), distilled water, nicotine, and flavoring. (please do not confuse propylene glycol with diethylene glycol. PG is used in everything from food additives to pill casings. It's also the primary ingredient in theatrical fog) The user inhales the vapor and aerosoled flavor / nicotine, and exhales what is essentially just water vapor. Independent lab analysis has shown that no carcinogens are present in the exhaled vapor.

I have no vested interest in you allowing PV to be used inside your locations other than as a customer and "vaper".

The below link is for further reading. It was written by Bill Godshall, a leading proponent of indoor cigarette smoking bans and an account of his visit to a recent larger gathering of vapers. It also demonstrates his support for the further use of PVs.

Bill Godshal, Executive Director of Smokefree Pennsylvania

Article link

I would be more than willing to stop by any location and demonstrate how a PV works for anyone that is new to the concept.

Thanks,

Scott

[Brandon]

I remember you talking about this one of your your previous episodes of VaporCast. Good to see you're jumping on it now.

Also, thanks for sharing that letter. A very good starter for other people interested in doing the same thing in their hometowns.

[Uma]

I like this idea!! How fun it would be to stimulate the economy (restaurants included!) once again. I so miss the good times of the past. We used to meet our friends at midnight for ice cream and coffee (and smokes) at our favorite all nighter restaurant. Haven't done something like that in over 10 years! (they've also closed due to the poor economy in recent years, (lol, since the no-smoking rules!) but surely there's another one opening soon).

[ddavelarsen]

Scott that's awesome. I PMed you with a couple of punctuation suggestions, but found nothing in this letter I'd change. I'm already thinking of a couple of coffee shops that are going to receive a 'local' copy of your letter. Fantastic work, thanks for doing the hard part.

[DB2K]

I remember you talking about this one of your your previous episodes of VaporCast. Good to see you're jumping on it now.

Also, thanks for sharing that letter. A very good starter for other people interested in doing the same thing in their hometowns.

We have talked with the local staff in the past, and received permission. That was just for Adam and I while we worked on show outlines. But, if we start doing monthly meetups and there are 10-20 people coming, I'd like the blessing from "corporate".

Thanks for listening too.

[DB2K]

I like this idea!! How fun it would be to stimulate the economy (restaurants included!) once again. I so miss the good times of the past. We used to meet our friends at midnight for ice cream and coffee (and smokes) at our favorite all nighter restaurant. Haven't done something like that in over 10 years! (they've also closed due to the poor economy in recent years, (lol, since the no-smoking rules!) but surely there's another one opening soon).

This coffee shop has seen a huge drop off. They started life as a pipe and cigar shop and added coffee later. Each location has a large walk in humidor and they used to receive a lot of cigar business. After the smoking ban passed, the lost nearly all their cigar business.

Perhaps they can fill space on those empty cigar shelves with e-liquid and attys!

[Christopher]

The is an AWESOME idea and extremely pro active. If you end up getting permission I would post the business in the Vapor Talk vapors clubs section, perhaps you could get some type of vapers meet going. I'm sure it would help boost their sales.

[NeRo9k]

That is an awesome idea. Let us the response if you receive it from corporate.

[DB2K]

Boston Stoker executive management has responded!

From Don Dean, President of Boston Stoker

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EVERYONE IS WELCOME AT BOSTON STOKER. EVEN VAPERS.

don

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

From Travis Qualls, Director of Retail Operations

<Header removed>

Scott,

Thank you for your letter. Boston Stoker takes pride in welcoming all individuals and groups as patrons to our stores provided that they are not practicing anything illicit, illegal, or bothersome to other customers. We feel that the local coffee shop is a place to express yourself as well as a place to get together with others.

Thank You,

Travis Qualls

Director of Retail Operations

This got me thinking about something that I had not considered.

Businesses that had a high population of smokers suffered economically when the smoking ban in Ohio went into law. Perhaps if businesses are made aware of vaping, and embrace it, we'll have that much more help in beating e-cig bans.

Perhaps businesses learned their lesson in not standing up to the smoking ban... and maybe this time they will stand against e-cig bans.

It can't hurt to try.

[DB2K]

The is an AWESOME idea and extremely pro active. If you end up getting permission I would post the business in the Vapor Talk vapors clubs section, perhaps you could get some type of vapers meet going. I'm sure it would help boost their sales.

Actually, that was the catalyst to this email. I'm trying to organize a Dayton Vapers meetup.

So, I'm putting out feelers looking for some place that will welcome 10-15 vapers for a few hours once a month.

So far, the response has been positive.

But, now, if you listened to VaporCast, you'd know that already. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

[Uma]

Rock on!!

[nana]

Yeah, ditto what Uma said!!