Vape store in dairy’s cupboard
At first glance it might look like a storage cupboard, but a tiny vape shop has opened in a Christchurch dairy and the owner says it’s perfectly legal.
Cashmere Clouds is located in the corner of Thorrington Dairy, on Colombo St, and stocks a range of products in a space about a metre wide.
Despite having the same owner and being on the same site as the dairy, the shop has a separate cash register and people have to be 18 or over to enter.
The new shop is 130 metres from Te Kura o Huriawa Thorrington Primary School and 1.5 kilometres from Cashmere High School.
Owner Girish Koshiya said he was aware of the law and would ensure underage people did not enter the vape shop.
‘‘Before they enter we check their IDs,’’ he said.
Koshiya has run the dairy for 19 years and said selling vape products was no different to selling cigarettes.
‘‘You can sell cigarettes, so why not sell vapes? It’s less harmful than cigarettes,’’ he said.
‘‘Lots of dairies are doing this all over New Zealand.’’
The shop is registered with the Health Advisory and Regulatory Platform. It is one of 1051 shops across New Zealand listed on the specialist vape retailer register and 64 in Christchurch.
According to the Vaping Regulatory Authority, specialist vape retailers can sell vaping products and smokeless tobacco products of any flavour that are not prohibited (no flavours are currently prohibited).
They can also display their name (or trade name) on the outside of the premises even if it is derived from ‘‘vape’’.
General retailers can only sell vaping products and smokeless tobacco products in tobacco, mint or menthol flavours.
There are now six registered vape stores on Colombo St.
Koshiya opened Cashmere Clouds in the first week of October. He sent photos of the new shop to the Ministry of Health and displays the required signage.
He had only received one complaint, he said. ‘‘It’s all legal. I have a permit and a legal licence.’’