Nicholas Arneson, owner of Dallas Vape Delivery & Lounge on Rosedale Street, opened his business just three weeks before a ban on THC vape products took force.
He built his business on vape deliveries and leaned heavily on the product. Most of his customers were interested in THC vape products, he said.
Now, nine large boxes filled with the product sit in the back of Arneson’s store after a new law banning the sale of THC vape pens went into effect Sept. 1. Although some prepared for the loss in sales, many smoke shops are now exploring new avenues of revenue.
Arneson estimated his now unsellable boxes of the product have a value between $5,000 and $10,000 and is weighing his options of what to do with them.
“I’m hoping that I’ll be able to just make a quick exchange, but who knows,” Arneson said.
In its first week, Senate Bill 2024 left smoke shops throughout Fort Worth with pockets of empty shelves and display cases.
SB 2024 was the only bill restricting THC signed into law. A broader THC ban failed when lawmakers met for their regular session and during an overtime round called by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick championed bills entirely banning consumable hemp products within the state.
Abbott vetoed such a bill in June but made the issue a high priority in the two special legislative sessions held since July.
Sanjay Shrestha, owner of Big D’s Smoke Shop on 8th Avenue, watched as the legislators wrestled with the issue and prepared for SB 2024 to take effect.
Two months ago, Shrestha stopped ordering excess vapes and began to inform customers the product would leave shelves. In the last stretch, he sold everything he could.
Buy-one-get-one-free sales helped rid the shop of nearly its entire stock, Shrestha said.
“We actually lost the money, but we at least covered our buying cost a little bit,” Shrestha said. “Our intention was just to cover the buying cost, because it’s going out anyway.”
THC vapes comprised about 20% of his business’s profit. Shrestha said he now plans to focus more on the products he can sell: pre-rolled joints with cannabis flower, nicotine vapes and tobacco products.
Arneson plans to transform his Rosedale shop into a lounge that provides a space for everyone — even those who do not smoke — with comic books, video games, drinks and rentable spaces.
However, the possibility of a broader ban on THC products still causes anxiety.
Arneson said his business would remain in operation should a widespread ban become law. He’s worried the absence of consumable THC would come at a personal cost to some of his customers who rely on the product for their well-being.
“I get a lot of military (personnel) coming in and they get a lot of CBD and edibles to help out with their situation,” Arneson said. “It’s big for them.”
John Forbes is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at john.forbes@fortworthreport.org.At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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