Vapor Shark – Best Vape Franchise – E-Liquid Awards 2016
Vapor Shark won Best Vape Franchise in the 2016 ZampleBox E-Liquid Awards. Most of our 2016 awards went to a flavor. This one went to a business: a vape shop brand that built its name as a franchise.
Vapor Shark is not sold on our site. This post keeps the record of the award and looks at what separates a great vape shop from an average one.
Short version: Founded in 2010, Vapor Shark set out to give adult smokers an alternative to traditional cigarettes and to usher in a new era of vaping. We named it the Best Vape Franchise of 2016.
Why Vapor Shark won
Vapor Shark was founded in 2010, early in the life of the vape shop business. Its stated mission was to offer smokers something different from traditional tobacco cigarettes, change the everyday experience around smoking and usher in a new era of vaping.
By 2016, that mission had grown into a recognizable franchise, and we wanted to honor a brand that helped shape what a vape store could be.
A note on that mission: views on vaping and smoking still differ. Nicotine is addictive, no vaping product is FDA-approved as a quit-smoking aid, and public-health bodies disagree on the details. If you smoke and are thinking about switching, talk to your doctor.
What a franchise award recognizes
Running one great shop is an achievement. Keeping the same standard across many locations is harder. A strong vape franchise gets a few things right:
- Consistency. The same product quality and service whichever store you walk into.
- Trained staff. People who can explain devices, coils and nicotine strengths in plain English.
- A clear brand. A look and a name customers recognize and trust.
- Responsible selling. Checking ID every time and never selling to anyone under the legal age.
What to look for in a vape shop today
Whether you shop in person or online, the same checklist applies:
- Age verification. The federal minimum age for all tobacco and vaping products has been 21 since December 2019, and a good shop checks it.
- Current knowledge. Every vaping product needs FDA premarket authorization, many products are still under review, and flavor rules vary by state and city. Good staff keep up, but check your own state and city rules too.
- Straight answers. Staff should help you match nicotine strength and juice to your device. Our guide on choosing a nicotine strength is a good primer.
- Battery advice. A shop worth your time will talk you through charging and handling batteries. See our recommended batteries for vaping.
Shopping with ZampleBox
We ship from Vista, California, to US addresses, for adults 21+ only, with age verification at checkout. Under the PACT Act, carriers require an adult signature on vape deliveries, and our shipping page has the details. For help, email [email protected] or visit our support page.
Prefer to have bottles picked for you? The Zamplebox Club sends a curated box of vape juice every month, with boxes starting at $23.99, and you can cancel any time. Or browse all our vape juice whenever you like.
For the rest of that year’s honorees, see all the 2016 E-Liquid Awards winners.
WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21+ only.