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Chris Crouse wanted to make available to customers living in the eastern end of Lycoming County a product they could get without driving to Williamsport.
Toward that end, he opened Liquid Sky Vaping in February, a business that sells e-cigarettes and their accessories.
His shop so far has been well received by patrons.
“The market in this is just exploding right now,” he said.
Crouse conceded that e-cigarettes are not without their controversy. Many see e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes, while opponents have argued they pose health risks and can be a “gateway drug” leading nonsmokers and kids to tobacco products.
The New York Times reported that e-cigarette use among high school students jumped from 4.5 percent in 2013 to 13.4 percent in 2014. As yet, there are no laws regulating e-cigarettes. All e-cigarettes work basically the same way with a battery, a heating element, and a cartridge that holds nicotine and other liquids and flavorings.
The nicotine, of course, is addictive.
Unlike regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco and don’t burn. Instead, a heating device in the e-cigarette converts the liquid into a vapor inhaled by the user. People don’t inhale the same amounts of tar and carbon monoxide as with a regular cigarette. But anyone using an e-cigarette still gets a dose of nicotine and other chemicals.
Crouse, 48, who took up smoking as a teenager, claimed e-cigarettes have weaned him off regular cigarettes, and he’s grateful for that.
“It is the most successful method of getting off cigarettes,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a crutch.”
Crouse feels he has a good location for his stop located in the Penn Hills Plaza just off Interstate 180 near the Lycoming Mall.
So far, he’s had his share of customers, including those from the gas and oil industry.
“This is where I wanted to be,” he said.
The first time business owner said he’s learning a lot about running his own enterprise.
“People have been supportive,” he said. “It’s been a learning experience, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
He said he’s happy to be his own boss.
So far, he has no regrets.
“I see it as the peoples’ store – the people who come in here,” he said. “I ask them what they want.”
He’s not looking to get rich, but rather to make a living.
“It’s really just getting off the ground at this point,” he said.
The phone number is 570-546-2600.