The owner of the Glass Room on Wheeler Avenue believes that his business has faced a backlash due to a lack of knowledge people have on vaping.

“Vaping helped me quit smoking about four years ago. Since then, the smell of cigarettes has made me sick,” said Mike DiFazio.

He believes that his vape shop can do positive things for smokers who are trying to quit because it reduces the number of carcinogens that people inhale. DiFazio said if people knew that, they would look at his business as just another business.

An “employee’s mother used to smoke two packs of Marlboros a day, but when she picked up vaping, she hasn’t picked up a cigarette since,” said DiFazio.

He believes that there is a large number of customers from and near Pleasantville who used to travel further away in order to get what they wanted.

“A lot of Pace students have to travel far so it made sense to open a shop up here. Business has been going well so far,” said DiFazio.

DiFazio said he has a nontraditional style of organizing his merchandise that is uncommon among other smoke and vape shops.

“Most shops are really cluttered and it’s hard to find the right pipe for each person. Having it organized this way makes it easier for people,” said DiFazio.

DiFazio has been working at vape shops since he was in high school, when his family only owned a single shop. He worked part-time until the business was passed over to him and they started opening up more shops.

“I never thought that we would end up opening up more than one shop. God willing, we will be able to open up more shops in the future,” said DiFazio.