Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Plotnick.
Melissa , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started smoking when I was 10 years old; however, my actual first cigarette was at 8 years old. Since then, it had become something that I grew up with and was part of my day-to-day life.
I continued smoking till 2010. At that time, it was getting very expensive, so I started buying my cigarettes overseas. After some time, that was getting difficult to do because of different tobacco shipping policies.
I had heard on the radio about electronic cigarettes, which were an alternative to cigarettes, and decided to do some research about them.
I found a place online where I could order my first electronic cigarette and some tobacco-flavored e-liquid. I fell in love with it instantly. I was normally a pack and a half a day smoker, and the day after I received my electronic cigarette, I smoked three cigarettes a day until my pack was gone. For me, that was a mini miracle.
As vaping got more popular and expensive, I decided to start doing cooperative sales with other people who were purchasing from China. Everybody would give me their order, and I would go to a specific website, and with the amount of stuff we were ordering as a group, we received discounts or free items. Everybody won.
During 2012, there were a lot of online vaping shows where you could interact with the show coordinator and other people. That is where I met my partner.
During this time, there were also a lot of conventions where not only could you meet fellow Vapors, but you could also learn about new equipment, new flavors, and win different prizes. People would travel from all over the country to go to these events.
In 2014, we decided to open our own electronic cigarette store that was going to focus on the customer and education.
To this day, when you come into our shop, you are greeted as an old friend and educated on every aspect of vaping.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
They always say location, location, location. Our first location was not very visible, but we did make a name for ourselves based on how we treated people.
COVID has hit us very hard, and we have reduced our income by over 50%. But because we love what we do, we are still here.
We rely on returning customers. We don’t just sell the newest gimmick on the market. We sell items that we can stand behind 100%. That does put us in a different position, not having the most popular items on the market to sell. But the people who shop here know they’ll getting a device that is going to work for them for a long time.
We really do care about what we do and how we impact people.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I was actually trained as a field service engineer in semiconductors. Running my own business was definitely new for me.
I am always looking for different items that will help my customers enjoy their vaping experience even more. We have a lot of people come in and tell us how awesome we are because we do a lot of training and education, not only on hardware but also the e-liquids. How to use them, charge them, how they are made, and how to make them last longer.
I think my personality stands out more than what we sell. Because I am outgoing and friendly to everyone who walks through that door, it is a different experience from what other stores offer. We don’t do any type of heavy sales, but we give the customer the opportunity to choose what will work best for them. And we always support our customers after the sale.
We are your vaping home away from home!
What matters most to you?
The thing that stands out in my mind as the most important thing, as a consumer myself, is that if you’re going to spend your money on something, you want it to do what it’s stated to do. So, giving people a full customer service experience and education is one of the most important things to us here at Vapor North.
Pricing:
- Price match guarantee
- Lowest prices anywhere
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vapornorth.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vapor_north_minnesota/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048133515876
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vapor-north-brainerd?osq=Vape+Shops
