GREENFIELD — The Enthusiast smoke and vape shop on Miles Street is closing after Saturday, and is selling off its inventory at a 60 percent discount until then.
Mike Behn, president of A.R. Sandri and manager of Sandri Energy LLC, which owns The Enthusiast, said the decision to close comes in the midst of regulation changes in the industry and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused revenue to drop sharply.
Last November, the Massachusetts Senate voted to ban all flavored tobacco products, including mint and menthol, and impose a 75 percent excise tax on e-cigarettes. This followed the temporary ban on vaping products Gov. Charlie Baker imposed in September due to illnesses tied to vaping.
The regulations negatively impacted The Enthusiast’s bottom line, with Behn noting people are driving to New Hampshire to buy menthol cigarettes.
“And the epidemic, closing us (for months) in early March, took its toll over time,” Behn added.
The Enthusiast originally opened in the fall of 2014 on Federal Street, after Behn’s company was inspired at a convenience store convention to branch out.
“Vaping was just taking off as an alternative to smoking. We thought it was a good business to get into and to help people get off cigarettes,” he said. “And that happened to a certain degree. But then companies like Juul got big and advertised with young people. That blew the industry up.”
When a two-alarm fire in 2016 severely damaged a portion of the Federal Street building that housed The Enthusiast, the shop reopened at the Miles Street location.
Saturday will be the last day The Enthusiast is open, but the store might have a sale at a later date to sell off any remaining inventory. Behn said four employees — three full-time and one part-time — will lose their jobs.
“We want to thank all our customers,” he said. “We appreciate their loyalty to The Enthusiast.”
Reach Paul Franz at 413-772-0261, ext. 266 or pfranz@recorder.com.
