Nottingham shop living up to its name
The vaping world is often a fast-paced environment. A competitive, energetic business in bloom, we constantly see a rush of new shops, flavours, mods, personalities and events come and go. Some prove more resilient than others, and we have every reason to believe that Big Vapes is here to stay.
Big Vapes launched just over a year ago and is proving precocious. The shop is highly regarded for its unique (often exclusive) hardware range, wide variety of liquids and prolific output of its own signature flavours. On Black Friday 2017, Director and co-founder Matthew White spoke to Vapouround Magazine about how he and partner Michael Decelis started Big Vapes.
The story begins, like so many others, with a vaper (or in this case, two) taking customisation to the next level by mixing their own liquids, discovering they have a talent for it, and realising they can turn their passion into a profession.
“Michael and I have been friends since we were at school together,” says Matthew. “By the time we started making our own e-liquid, we’d been vapers for six years and realised we had a knack for mixing.”
Combining their talents and savings, the two ambitious entrepreneurs set their sights on available properties, soon finding the ideal spot on Ilkeston Road. Hoping to not just end up as another vape shop, Big Vapes made sure their customers got a taste of something they wouldn’t find anywhere else.
“Right now about half our stock are Big Vape signature liquids. We’ve had great success with our Blueberry and Citrus Menthol liquid, and the ‘Funtasy’ range – especially the Raspberry and Lime, Lemon, Mango and Grape flavours. We never stop working; looking ahead, we want to put out a new flavour every week. We’ve got testers in the shop, so you can always get a taste of what’s on offer.”
Big Vapes haven’t just hit their stride in the liquid market, but in hardware as well. Vapers come from around the midlands to get their hands on rare and new hardware.
“We source hardware often before anyone else can get their hands on it,” says Matthew proudly, when asked on the secrets to their success.
“A lot comes in straight from China. For the new year, we’ll be expanding our network, travelling to Hong Kong to mix with vape companies there. We’re also building our own website which will be up shortly.”
Big Vapes have been described as ‘The People’s Champion’ of vape shops, thriving on goodwill and good words. As of this publication, Big Vapes enjoy perfect reviews across the board, including hundreds of five-star ratings on social media and glowing praise from visitors and regulars within the Nottingham vape scene.
