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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
MARCH/APRIL 2015
T
hey say necessity is the mother of
invention. In the vape world, it is
also the mother of
fun
invention.
Vape retailers seem to be churning out
creative ideas by the truckload—literally,
in one case.
Based in Long Beach, and often seen
parked and doing business in Venice
Beach and other areas of Southern
California, is a vape shop on wheels.
Ambulance Chaser
A revamped ambulance (mostly on
the outside) is now the vape business
of smoker-turned-vaper Lisa Tercheria,
who believes she has created the first-of-
its-kind mobile vape shop—aptly named
Vapor Express L.A.
In business since last summer, Vapor
Express “mobile retail vehicle,” as
Tercheria refers to it, sets out to bring a
healthy alternative to smoking directly
to the consumer, offering an array of
quality devices and e-liquids, according
to its mission statement. But that doesn’t
remotely encompass its awesome vibe.
“Everyone in this business has a
traditional brick-and-mortar shop; I
wanted people to really take notice of
this
,” Tercheria tells
TBI
. “Plus, brick-
and-mortar is really expensive to get
started, whereas I started this on a
shoestring.”
Actually, she started it in an old
ambulance. She considered other
vehicles, but the ambulance proved to
be the best fit. “I researched an ice cream
truck, as well as a prefab food truck, [but]
they were all very expensive and they
didn’t really have anything that fit [my
needs]. This ambulance had these great
display cases where the drugs were held;
it was all very neat and ready to roll; it
had everything I needed,” she says.
Tercheria added in her personality
(along with a great stereo system) to
Fun With Vapor
The retail
vape business
is turning out
to be a highly
creative
business with
novelty ideas
aplenty.
By Renée M. Covino
electric
AlleY