River City Vapes

Six years ago Shawn Kreger was introduced to the world of vaping and now he’s the owner and operator of River City Vapes (RCV), a company voted as the best vape shop in Edmonton, two years running. Being a technical guy, Kreger dove right into the vaping market and learned the science of how the devices worked before starting his business. Kreger began sourcing vapes from China and started educating friends and family about the science. It got the point where he had to open a store. Now RCV has three stores and a head office/ warehouse, and Kreger is still anticipating growth for his business. “We’re still waiting for the rules of the game from government and we would certainly have more shops if we had certainty as far as regulations go. We’re here for the long run though,” he says. A RCV store has a welcoming environment, Kreger says, and he wants every customer to feel relaxed when they learn about vaping. “I built my shops to be the shops that I wanted to walk into,” he says. “In 2013, my wife and I went to Vegas, where vaping was just getting off the ground a bit quicker than here, and we toured around five or six different shops to find the right feel to go for.” What separates RCV from other vape shops is knowledgeable customer service and education, Kreger says. You can walk into a shop knowing a little or nothing at all. Either way, you will leave with some new knowledge about vaping. “I call it free of charge information. That’s not really made available at convenience stores. So we are always there to help people make smart choices. “We always hear ‘God, I wish I came to you first.’ We save people money and don’t push products. We find the right product for you.”

I built my shops to be the shops that I wanted to walk into.