The Smokeless Journey: Celebrating 15 Years of Loyalty, Resilience, and Service

As we celebrate 15 years of Smokeless this Black Friday, it’s humbling to look back at a journey marked by growth, challenges, and resilience. Founded in 2009, Smokeless began as an idea born from our desire to help people transition from traditional tobacco to a better alternative. What started in a single kiosk at Burnsville Center has grown into something much bigger than we could have imagined. This blog reflects on the key moments that shaped Smokeless, the hurdles we’ve overcome, and, most importantly, the loyal customers and incredible team members who made it all possible.

Humble Beginnings with a Mission

In 2009, Jesse and I left our lives in California to start fresh in Minnesota, bringing with us a big vision and a small goal: if we could sell just one electronic cigarette kit a day, we could keep our lights on. From the start, Smokeless took a different approach—we put relationships ahead of sales. We committed to giving each customer the time and attention they needed, offering free part replacements, and helping people find the perfect setup that would support their lifestyle. By the end of our first year, we saw the impact of that commitment. Customers began sending their friends and family our way, and through their loyalty, we grew without spending a dime on marketing. Those early days cemented our mission: helping people reach their goals was—and always will be—at the heart of Smokeless.

When we first started, we chose the name Smokeless Smoking because we thought it helped people understand the new and unfamiliar technology. But as the term “vaping” became common and public perception shifted, we realized our name was starting to feel outdated. By 2018, we officially changed our DBA to simply Smokeless to reflect our evolving brand and the progress we’d made in redefining smoking alternatives. Interestingly, some of our original customers still call us Smokeless Smoking out of habit—a small reminder of our early days.

Adapting and Growing: From Kiosks to Storefronts

Within our first two years, we expanded from Burnsville to new kiosks at Maplewood Mall and Rosedale Center, and by 2013, we’d grown enough to open our first brick-and-mortar store in Bloomington. Seeing this kind of growth was inspiring and humbling. Today, many of the customers who shopped at those original kiosks are still with us. It’s a reminder of the deep roots we’ve planted and the lives we’ve continued to touch along the way.

Rosedale Kiosk image from Pioneer Press, circa 2014 

Facing Challenges: Taxes, Bans, and Public Perception

In 2010, we faced our first major challenge when Minnesota implemented a 95% wholesale tax on nicotine products. At the time, we were just beginning to develop our 503 eLiquid line, and this tax nearly doubled the cost of importing raw nicotine. It was a heavy blow, but we adapted. This commitment to persevere and protect our customers’ access to quality products has defined our approach to each new challenge over the years.

Then, in 2014, Minnesota banned mobile sales, forcing us to close the kiosks that had helped us establish our reputation. Losing the kiosks was incredibly difficult—they had been our launching pad, our means of connecting with the community, and the foundation of our brand. Thankfully, by then, we had begun expanding into storefronts, opening new locations in NE Minneapolis and Woodbury late 2013, and Burnsville in January of 2014. This shift to brick-and-mortar stores came just in time, but it was a significant adjustment for our business model.

2014 was also a turning point in other ways. "Vape" as we know the word today was officially added to the dictionary. That year, the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act was amended to include vaping, forcing customers who had transitioned from smoking to stand outside alongside traditional smokers. Meanwhile, in the UK, doctors were on the verge of prescribing e-cigarettes as smoking cessation tools, highlighting the stark difference between regulatory approaches. We believed in the potential of vaping as a harm-reduction tool, but U.S. regulations seemed to hinder rather than help that mission. Today the UK continues to recognize vapor tools as harm reduction tools, while the US has yet to embrace their involvement in the continuing decline of numbers of smokers in our country. 

First Smokeless store - Bloomington brick and mortar staff, circa 2014 

The Boom and the Burden: Establishing Headquarters and Navigating FDA Compliance

By 2015, vaping was booming, competition was growing, and the demand for customizable setups led to a culture shift. Our stores became destinations for enthusiasts, with drill presses on hand and a focus on building and personalizing high-end mod devices. Alongside this culture, however, media-driven fears of battery safety issues and “popcorn lung” due to diacetyl in some e-liquids became widespread. In response, we ensured that all our products were diacetyl-free and proactively educated customers on battery safety, emphasizing our commitment to safe practices.

In 2016, we took a big step forward, leasing a warehouse facility down the road from our Bloomington store. This new headquarters allowed us to expand our manufacturing and compliance capabilities, building out labs that met FDA standards and moving from a small, family-run business to a larger operation. That same year, the FDA’s Deeming Rule went into effect, bringing vapor products under regulatory oversight. We took on the enormous task of submitting a PMTA application—a document over a million pages long, requiring years of work to complete. 

During this time, the Juul scandal rocked the industry, raising concerns about youth-targeted marketing. We had always used social media to engage with our adult customers, but out of extreme caution, we chose to pull back from these platforms. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the UK’s Royal College of Physicians continued to endorse vaping as a safer alternative to smoking. The science was there, but the regulatory environment in the U.S. continued to place obstacles in our path.

Smokeless Distribution warehouse opens, circa late 2016

A Period of Uncertainty: COVID-19, EVALI, and Expanding the Mission

2019 and 2020 brought more unexpected twists. After the federal farm bill passed, we began exploring the integration of CBD into our lineup, evolving our mission from “quit smoking” to a broader focus on harm reduction. We recognized that cannabis could help people in many ways, from pain management to easing reliance on pharmaceuticals. However, the EVALI crisis—caused by black-market THC cartridges containing vitamin E acetate—led to a wave of fear around vapor products. In the space of a week, we lost 25% of our business, as customers worried about the safety of all vape products. It took months for the CDC and FDA to clarify the true cause, but by then, the damage had been done and the stigma and confusion it left is something we still run into today on a regular basis.

Then came COVID-19. The pandemic forced us to close temporarily in spring 2020 under Minnesota’s statewide shutdown. When we reopened, we introduced curbside pickup to ensure customer safety, a service we continue to offer today. COVID was a stark reminder of our community’s importance and our need to adapt to unforeseen challenges.

Smokeless Woodbury staff amidst covid changes, circa summer 2020

Passionate Team, Loyal Customers: The Heart of Smokeless

As we look back on these years, we’re proud to say that some of the same employees who joined during the kiosk days are still with us today. They’ve weathered every challenge, fueled by their passion for Smokeless’s mission. We also have customers who have been with us since the beginning, shopping with us through each chapter of our journey. These relationships, both behind and in front of the counter, are the core of Smokeless. It’s amazing to step back and see the lives we’ve touched and the community we’ve built, and we know that we couldn’t have done it without the loyalty and dedication of our team and customers.

Present Challenges and a Look Forward

In recent years, disposable vapor products have surged in popularity, challenging our commitment to open systems. Disposables offer convenience, but we remain dedicated to educating customers on the benefits of more customizable options. Today, cannabis has become a significant part of our business, especially with Minnesota’s legalization of low-dose THC edibles in 2022. We continue to grow and adapt as we support our customers’ evolving needs and we have big plans for our continued growth and involvement in the cannabis industry moving forward.

Looking back, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. If you had told us 15 years ago that this little idea would grow into something so impactful, we might not have believed it. We knew the product had the power to disrupt the tobacco industry and help people, but we weren’t sure we had that power within ourselves. Today, as we look to the future, we feel ready to take on whatever comes next. There will undoubtedly be more ups and downs, but we are confident, and we know that our mission—to help people live better lives—is what will guide us forward.

Thank You to Our Smokeless Family

To our incredible customers—thank you for your loyalty and trust over these past 15 years. You have been with us through every challenge, and we’re honored to have played a part in your journeys. Here’s to the next 15 years of Smokeless and the new milestones, memories, and growth yet to come.