Dowagiac’s first-ever vendor of a growing alternative to traditional cigarettes is now open for business.

The owners of the new Electric Mist Vape Shop had a soft opening of its downtown storefront this weekend, offering its wares of vapor pens and accessories to local customers for the first time. The Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the store, located next to Farm Bureau Insurance at 218 S. Front Street, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6.

Owned and operated by father and son team, Peter and Eric Krebs, the store is the latest dedicated retailer for the growing market of smoke-free devices for consuming nicotine. As the name implies, vapor pens are shaped like a traditional fountain pen, using electricity to heat a small bottle of liquid nicotine, which is then inhaled by the user as a mist that rapidly evaporates.

The smoking alternative has gained popularity with tobacco users in recent years, due to the fact that it eliminates the odor, and danger, of second-hand smoke.

“My dad [Peter] tried everything he could to stop smoking, and vape pens were the only thing that worked,” Eric Krebs said.

The Krebs family decided to open the business in part to provide a convenient location for users of the product to buy tank refills or new products closer to home.

“Now people won’t need to drive to Niles [for supplies],” Krebs said. “They can get what they need, right here in Dowagiac,”

In addition to an assortment of pens and accessories, the store sells tank refills in 20, 30, and 120 ounce increments. Customers will be able to select what level of nicotine they would like, as well a mist flavoring from the store’s nearly 70 different options it currently stocked.

As a special opening week deal, customers will receive a free pen lanyard for orders of $20 or more. Also, the store will be offering free bottles for customers who purchase two or more refills, Krebs said.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The store can be reached at (269) 782-9600.