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Updated: January 16, 2025 @ 8:53 am
Nona’s Smoke Shop at 176 Front St. closed it’s doors on New Year’s Day.
Valley Breeze Staff Writer
Nona’s Smoke Shop at 176 Front St. closed it’s doors on New Year’s Day.
LINCOLN – Following the start of new vape laws, Lincoln’s only smoke shop, Nona’s, has closed the doors of its Front Street location.
Last summer, Rhode Island leaders passed a law banning the sale of flavored vapes, but the law didn’t go into effect until Jan. 1. Lawmakers said the use of flavored vapes among teens is a concern, and was the primary reason for the ban.
While the sale of tobacco and menthol products is still legal, the products will now be taxed 50 cents per milliliter for prefilled vapes, and 10 percent of wholesale for other products.
Iris Hedera, manager at the Nona’s Smoke Shop Johnston location, said the recently enacted flavored vape ban isn’t the sole reason for the Lincoln store’s closing, though the new law did play a major role in the decision.
“We’ve definitely taken a huge hit; the flavored vapes were by far one of our most popular products. Flavored vapes are the most popular product of pretty much every smoke shop in the state,” she said. “Most smoke shops are small businesses, and now all of them are being negatively impacted, I wouldn’t be surprised if a ton of them closed.”
The Front Street Nona’s had two full-time employees, who have since been transferred to work at the Johnston location. Though the employees didn’t lose their jobs as a result of the closure, Hedera told The Breeze that all of Nona’s employees have had their work hours cut to accommodate the extreme dip in sales.
Hedera explained that Nona’s has a large inventory of other products, which will help keep the business afloat, but that’s not the case for several smoke shops in the area, who relied on sales of flavored vapes.
Leading up to and preparing for the ban was also difficult, Hedera stated. Prior to New Year’s Day, she said Nona’s had huge sales to try to clear out their inventory to avoid fines and legal repercussions associated with selling flavored products.
Those settling for unflavored vapes and other e-cigarettes can be prepared for a significant price jump, for example, a vape that used to cost $17.99 now costs $26.99.
Among employees and customers alike, Hedera described the public response to the ban as “overwhelmingly unhappy.”
While she said she understands that officials are concerned about teens vaping, Hedera said she believes the justification for the new law is nonsensical, considering customers must be 21 or older to purchase any nicotine products, including flavored vapes.
“I think there are other things they could’ve done that would limit the problem of kids smoking without punishing adults,” she said. “They could’ve cracked down on surveillance laws, enforced stricter ID-ing, stuff like that, before banning flavored vapes, but they didn’t.”
Joel Perez, who was a regular customer at the Lincoln Nona’s, said flavored vapes helped him to quit smoking cigarettes. Now, Perez says, he fears he’ll revert to his old habit.
Another Nona’s Lincoln regular said she’ll opt to travel out of state and purchase flavored vapes in New Hampshire or Connecticut instead.
“It’s just not fair, these local small businesses going under, people losing their jobs, going back to big tobacco. It’s counterintuitive if you ask me. Vapes are a much better alternative to cigarettes, and now these giant corporations are monopolizing the market once again,” said Hedera.
Valley Breeze Staff Writer
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