In Jönköping, scissors, e-juices and vapes come together at the same address. Behind the initiative are hairdresser Eddie Mourad and 1TP8 enthusiast Casper Sandström - who run a perhaps odd, but well-functioning, collaboration in "Småland's Jerusalem".
- "It's nice to be able to help people with the stress and anxiety of everyday life with a little nicotine," says Casper.
In Vejpkollen's relentless search for "odd combinations", a sub-category of the "Swedish vejp shops" vignette, the hair salon "Hairmony" and the vejp shop "Vejp shopp" clearly qualify. However, it's a tough battle at the top of the category as we've already run into duo shops such as mobile phone repair and vejp, tattoo and vejp, laundry detergent with vejp and so on. Combo businesses have proven to be a common development in the Swedish vejp market.
The hairdresser who is passionate about vape
Anyway, here on Trädgårdsgatan in Junebäckens handelsplats, which is believed to be the old historical meaning of the name "Jönköping", is the city's only dedicated vejpshopp. The combination came about when long-time hairdresser and entrepreneur Adel Mourad decided a few years ago to lend a certain part of the salon space to someone who wanted to open up a vejp shop. That particular collaboration fell apart, but the idea lived on, along with Casper Sandström - who took over the role of store manager when Adel took over the business himself. Adel is known simply as "Eddie".
- There were some other people who rented here with him before, and then I came here. But then after a while... Well, without going into too much detail, they left and then Eddie asked if I wanted to take over," says Casper while Eddie himself takes care of a hairdresser customer on the other side of the glass.
Matches, Free Churches - and vejp
As you know, Jönköping is part of Småland, even if it doesn't really feel like it. There are no screeching "R's" here and both the city and the county of Jönköping have other, separate identities to boast about. Sometimes called the 'Jerusalem of Småland' or the 'Swedish Bible Belt', free churches such as the Pentecostal Church, the Alliance Church and Jehovah's Witnesses have strongholds in the city. Sometimes Jönköping is simply called the 'Match City' after the Jönköping match factory founded here in 1845. The success of safety matches became huge and international and for a while there were no less than five match factories operating in the city.
After Eddie's customer has dried his hair, he comes over to the vejp department and says that even though that first collaboration didn't work out, he still recognised vejp as both a product and a business opportunity.
- I have actually always been curious about vejp as an alternative for cigarettes. I think cigarettes do a lot of harm. So a product that allows customers to stop harming themselves, but still get the same enjoyment felt great. It gave me a passion to try to do something for both them and us," says Eddie.
Searched for alternatives that do not harm or smell bad
He was already working as a hairdresser in his former home country of Iraq, but retrained when he came to Sweden in 1990. He has run several different salons himself and currently also has one called "Eddies" in Falköping, which is close by. But there is no vejpshop there. Not yet, anyway.
- I wanted alternatives to cigarettes, because I used to smoke myself. Around 2022, I first started seeing people vejping in town, and I got curious," Eddie continues.
Road couple since 10 years
Casper has been on the vejpand a bit longer than that. Since about 2016, he guesses.
- Then it started popping up online and so on. So even though there was no ground shop that you could go to here, you could order online," says Casper.
"Vape shopp" is Jönköping's only one of its kind - but there was even less in the small town of Hova, where Casper comes from, from the beginning.
- "I haven't lived here in Jönköping for too long. But probably not many people know about Hova, it doesn't have much to offer, he laughs
Aspirating hairdryer
Casper pretty much takes care of himself in the small vejp glass shop. He's on site between 12 and 18 - and if a customer arrives before then, it's no more difficult than Eddie himself jumping over from the hairdressing salon and helping out. There are between five and ten customers a day, so there is a lot of fiddling on the mobile phone in between, says Eddie.
- "He's a pro at mobile games now," he laughs. We'll have to teach him how to cut hair so we have some use for him. Or at least to dry hair.
- Yes, but I have done that at some point. I've helped out and washed customers' hair," Casper claims in a still joking tone.
However, he seems to know all the more about the vejp department's range, and that is a good thing.
- I usually tell my clients that it starts as an addiction and turns into a hobby. I guess that's how it has become for me too. I enjoy new flavours and machines and being able to help customers. It's fun to see them happy and come back and say that this or that was really good. Helping people with the stress and anxiety of everyday life with a little nicotine.
Kiosks do not know what they are selling
Casper doesn't think that vejp is that big in Jönköping, at least not yet.
- It may well shine more in the larger cities like Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö. But we are the only legitimate vejp shop here. There are kiosks and such that have some disposable ones, but they don't know what they sell. So you can't go in and ask them anything or get the help you get here.
- We have a lot more juices than disposables here. We want to get rid of these youngsters who want to buy and have more mature and experienced customers. Disposables attract small young people. That is why we have invested in a vejpshop more than just a kiosk. Young people under 18 have no business here, because we don't sell anything that is legal for them," adds Eddie.
Few minors in the shop
That's why they don't look after so many minors. If they're not going to get a haircut, there's no reason for them to come here. No drinks, sweets or anything else are sold here. The average age of the five or ten daily customers is older.
- It is quite different. You might think that there should be many younger people shopping. But it's actually much more older than young people. Most people are probably between 25 and 40," says Casper.
Not ready to change epithets quite yet
Eddie, as owner of the shop, joins the same chorus of opinions that have echoed through most vejp shops that Vejpkollen has visited; that the disposables and the small kiosks that sell them are unsuspectingly destroying the more serious players.
- If it hadn't been for the kiosks, it would have been huge here. But I think that the one-offs and those who sell under the tables and so on are taking a big share and destroying the industry. There is a black market out there. This is an industry that, if you manage it right, can even bring down the number of young people who vejpar.
Jönköping may not be ready to fully change its epithet from match city to vejp city quite yet. But Eddie and Casper are fighting on, and thanks to Hairmony hair salon, Smålands Jerusalem at least has a well-stocked and functioning vejp shop.
Five quick ones for Casper and Eddie, Vape Shopp in Jönköping
Who is your typical customer?
- Mixed women and men, between about 25 and 40
How big is vejp in Jönköping?
- Not huge, but not unusually small either
What is your own favourite flavour?
- Watermelon, replies Eddie.
- Yes, it's my favourite flavour, haha. I love strawberry," says Casper.
What would you never put in the tank yourself?
- Tobacco, replies Eddie.
- "Watermelon then, but recently also oranges," replies Casper.
What made you start vejpa?
- I was between smoking and vejpa at parties and such. But I found vejp much more pleasant. I was never a habitual smoker, but I always thought it felt disgusting in both my breath and my lungs when I smoked," says Eddie.
- I was a smoker for about five years. Then I just happened to discover vejp. I guess it's like Eddie said - smoking was both disgusting and smelled bad," says Casper.
