Pink Spot Vapors – Interview 2 – June 2013
Pink Spot Vapors is an American Success Story in every sense of the word. In addition to being a success story I would like to personally note that PSV was also the first company to have confidence in Spinfuel eMagazine and in so doing became our first official advertiser a year ago. In the space of that year Pink Spot Vapors has grown at a near exponential rate.
A new production facility has been constructed, a new retail (brick and mortar) store has opened in Phoenix AZ, a brand new website has been launched, and they have recently broken ground on their second retail store in Las Vegas! Time waits for no man, or e-cigarette business, and Pink Spot Vapors appears to understand that better than most. We are proud to have played even the tiniest part over the past year and we look forward to being there for Pink Spot Vapors for many years to come.
So it is with much delight that I recently contacted Penn and Sandi Elletson about the new projects of the past year and the ones coming up. Penn and Sandi are hard working entrepreneurs, but they did manage to find some time to speak with us, and that conversation is included below. If you haven’t stopped by Pink Spot Vapors in a while, make sure to pop over to Pink Spot and check out all the new e-liquid flavors and remember to check out their online gallery for photos of their Las Vegas store.
Interview
Spinfuel – Penn, Sandi, what a delight it is to catch up with you! So many exciting things going on with Pink Spot Vapors, I don’t know where to start first. A new store, a new production facility, a groundbreaking ceremony and a new website, these are all wonderful things!
PSV: Hey John, First off, congrats on the success of Spinfuel. It has really become very popular. You and your team’s hard work get a big fist bump first! We do have a ton of things going on, it is just crazy. This industry is growing so fast! It is wonderful to see the progress. Everyone thought I was nuts almost 4 years ago when I sold my car and my wife’s (lol) to start PSV. They thought I was nuts to open a store a year ago with 5 employees. Now we have about 30 full time employees and it is hard to keep up most days. Working on getting more staff trained for the next store currently as well. The growth of this industry is incredible. We are truly blessed to be a part of it.
Spinfuel – About your new website. It is a beautiful, easy to navigate, terrifically organized site. How is working out for you? Has it increased traffic for you, or otherwise affected your customers? I imagine they love the new design.
PSV: -It is a major chore to change formats like that while maintaining a live website. We just thought it was necessary for the long term. We want to be able to grow and add more options and more flexibility in the future. This new format should enable us to grow with the industry.
Spinfuel – Tell us a little about the Phoenix store. Why Phoenix? How has the reception been for an e-cigarette establishment opening in the area?
PSV: -Kinda funny, I went to a football game at the Arizona stadium last year and was told that eCigs were not allowed in the stadium. I realize they did not make that rule because of extended research, they made the rule because a few people that do not know what they are complained to the right people. It is just a matter of education. I have seen the progress in Las Vegas in the past year since my store opened and wanted to push that education in the Phoenix area as well. We teamed up with some people close to me and industry friends and decided it was time to open a shop in Phoenix. Our retail store employees push to make a Vaper, not just a sale. You do that by education. The more people that are educated about vaping… the less likely you are going to find rules like they have at Arizona Cardinals stadium.
Spinfuel – In addition to the many wonderful e-Liquids you carry in the store, you also sell hardware and accessories. What are some of the big sellers in the Phoenix area and does it differ from your popular items in Vegas?
PSV: -The industry seems to change each month. When we opened in Vegas, 95% of the people that walked in the store said, “ I smoke and I don’t want to”. It is hard to shove a ProVari with all the accessories and tell them they are looking at 300 plus dollars out the door. They would turn around and walk out. So we started with a lot of basics, no knock offs but Ego C Twists, Bolts, 808s etc. We stressed to keep it simple so they succeed. Now we have a customer base that has been vaping for some time now and want to “graduate” so we are carrying more items like the MVP, VAMO v3, KTS Storm etc. We still carry the genuine JoyeTech basics that we recommend for new Vapers. They are not fancy, but they work, and they seem to not get confused or frustrated. So Vegas is a bit ahead of Phx at this point, DON’T get me wrong, there are some hard core great Vapers in Phoenix, but there are again 95% of the people walking in to the store are brand new. Where in Vegas, it is closer to 50-50 now. Which is great, the industry is growing and getting stronger.
Spinfuel – I’ve always wondered about various areas of the country and how it affects the popularity of certain types of e-Liquids. For instance, it seems to me that many people here in Florida prefer fruity blends, Pina colada, strawberry, cherry, and a dozen variations of fruits. Do you notice any flavor trends in Phoenix as compared to Las Vegas?
PSV: -Yea John, I have several flavors that do better in some areas of the country. heck some parts of the world. We wholesale all over the globe and we have flavors that sell better from country to country. I think the flavor with the largest difference would have to be Raspberry Mojito. I sell a ton in California. I sell it everywhere but it is definitely a fan favorite in California. Lol.
Spinfuel – Generally speaking, is the Phoenix area, particularly the political arena, okay with the whole ‘e-cigarette’ movement or are they constantly trying to make life harder for people in the “business”? Have any new laws gone into effect in Arizona or in the city of Phoenix?
PSV: -It is kinda where LV was a year ago. When I opened my store, I could not get any interest from the media. Now they are doing lead in stories on the local 11 o’clock news at my store. Nobody wanted to lease me a space a year ago, now stores are popping up every other day here in LV it seems. Phx is about where LV was then, there will be more stores there in a year when people realize we are not a “head shop” and the stereo types start to disappear.
Spinfuel – Are the customers any different compared to your customers in Vegas?
PSV: -There is no demographic, we have customers that are doctors and students and teachers and mechanics. Smoking does not have a demographic, it is every walk of life from 18-88. Everyone either smokes, or at least knows someone that does. It is a word of mouth deal for sure. When you change someone’s life, they will tell everyone they know.
Spinfuel – How are things in Vegas? I’ve heard your original Vegas location has become a very busy enterprise. Are you close to any of the major casinos?
PSV: The store in Vegas is nuts. To be honest with you, I never dreamed that it would grow so fast. We are about 20 min north of the “strip”. We are opening the 2nd store on the south end of town so we can cater to the entire valley. We still are an eJuice manufacturer so we sell to several other places in Las Vegas. We have some providers on the strip and “Freemont St. (old strip)
Spinfuel – The last time I visited Vegas you could smoke cigarettes in the casinos, but in 2007 the laws were somewhat changed. Have there been any other recent changes to the laws that effect e-cigarettes? Like many other cities, where e-cigarettes have been unfairly wrapped into the same laws that affect tobacco cigarettes is Vegas following the same pattern?
2007 Smoking Regulations: – Casinos that exceed 15 slot machines as well as nightclubs, bars and strip clubs that don’t serve food can allow smoking. Food does not include prepackaged snacks found at bars. Most of these places where food is not served allow you to carry your food in with you. It allows you to smoke while you eat.
PSV: Lol.. They tried to ban smoking in some places in Las Vegas. That did not work. The law “passed” but nobody stopped. I was bartending at the time and was waiting to see what would happen… Not really sure how to explain how that went down John, lets just say this IS Vegas, it has a bit of the ole wild west in it still.
