Tom brings vapers in from the cold...
ANEW SMOKING venue has opened up in Macclesfield that is believed to be the town’s first ever vaping cafe.
Tom Maggs, 30, opened Wreckless Vape Company, on Church Street, in the town centre, at the end of August.
He says the business - which combines the sale of drinks and pre-packaged food with vaping machines and liquid - is also the only one of its kind he has heard of in the whole of Cheshire East.
Tom describes his business as a niche, and healthier, 21st century version of old-fashioned coffee shops, at which hot drinks and smoking once went hand in hand.
He said: “People would always have a cigarette with their coffee and tea so I wanted to create a social environment for people.
“A lot of bars don’t let you vape inside so it seemed a nice and niche idea, especially in winter as vapers tend to get lumped in with smokers.
“It’s not nice going outside in the cold. It is a very new business model that has come about in the last 12 to 18 months.”
Tom, who lives in Wythenshawe and grew up in Bournemouth, previously worked in sales at a video game exchange but took out a loan to start his business.
He has already made vaping liquids in his spare time and sells two of his own range as part of around 100 at the cafe.
Among the more unusual flavours are bubblegum and a combination of apple, elderflower and wild mint.
Question marks have hung over vaping and ecigarettes with people expressing mixed views on the subject.
Some see them as a much less harmful alternative to smoking while some pubs and councils - including Cheshire East - have banned ecigarette use on their premises in the same way as smoking is outlawed.
But Tom says vaping is increasingly becoming an accepted lifestyle choice and that a Public Health England report found it 95 per cent less harmful than smoking.
He said: “Lots of people try giving up smoking with other ways and don’t manage it - by far the most successful is vaping.
“The reason is it is not just the nicotine it is the habit, putting something in your mouth and taking a toke. So why not give people a nice place in which to do it?
“It is here to stay and we’ve even had a few people come in here for a coffee who haven’t been vaping.”