Dawg House Vapors and Lounge opens in Lewes

When Shelby and Kristina Pryor wanted to quit smoking, they turned toward a new trend - vaping. Already seasoned business owners, the couple decided to parlay their passion into their next business venture.

“Vaping helped us stop smoking. We believe in it, and we want to help others,” Shelby Pryor said.

There are about 18 milligrams of nicotine in a Marlboro Red, though the amount actually absorbed by the body is less. When Shelby Pryor switched to vaping, he started out at 24 milligrams of nicotine a day. That was three months ago.

“Now I’m down to six milligrams,” he said proudly.

Pryor explained that vaping works by using a battery to heat a “juice” that contains propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin, water, flavoring and nicotine. The amount of nicotine is variable, and some people opt to use juices with no nicotine at all.

Vaping and smoking are different in that vaping involves no combustibles. Vaping is generally considered less harmful than smoking because it releases considerably fewer toxicants. It can help smokers kick the habit or reduce their nicotine intake.

Vaping is such a new phenomenon that more research is needed to fully understand it. Currently, it’s not regulated by the government.

Dawg House sells a wide variety of vape pens, which can cost anywhere from $30 to $200.

“I try to start them off at the price of a carton of cigarettes,” reasoned Pryor.

They also have a large selection of juices, including flavors like cherry pomegranate, cotton candy, and cappuccino, and feature a juice “testing bar,” where patrons can test non-nicotine versions.

In addition to vape pens and juices, Dawg House sells a variety of “mods” and all the supplies needed for vaping. They also sell water pipes and hookahs.

“It really does make us feel good when people come tell us how much they’ve cut down,” said Kristina Pryor.

Dawg House Vapor and Lounge is located in Coastal Plaza at 18388 Coastal Highway in Lewes and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.