'E-Cigarette' Shop Opens Doors

A tiny shop that sells “e-cigarettes” has opened in Barrington.

Ecig Shed is in its second week at 91 Maple Ave. selling electronic cigarettes and supplies to “smoke” the so-called cigarettes.

Louis Del Sesto, a Barrington native now living in Riverside, and his mother, Elaine Mancino of Barrington, have opened the shop together. She owns the building that also houses a hair salon.

“It’s an alternative device,” said Del Sesto, a former two pack a day smoker who got into the business by selling the devices to friends. 

The devices have three primary components: a plastic cartridge that is the reservoir for a liquid-nicotine concentrate known as “e-juice” or “e-liquid” that is vaporized into an aerosol mist or vapor that simulates the act of smoking, the "atomizer" that vaporizes the liquid, and a battery that charges the device.

“There is no odor, it doesn’t discolor your teeth and there are no butts to dispose of,” Mancino said.

Del Sesto said he does not market or sell the electronic cigarettes as a quit-smoking device even though they were originally developed for that use.

“The FDA has not tested it to stop smoking,” he said of the federal food and drug agency. “But it can stop you from smoking while retaining the fixation of smoking. I haven’t smoked since I started using it.”

Mancino likened it to a nicotine patch – “you get the nicotine” without the other harmful elements of a cigarette. 

“Whatever works to get you off tobacco,” Del Sesto said. “I think of it as a means to wean down tobacco.”

The liquid nicotine concentrate actually comes in a variety of flavors, including the taste of tobacco, menthol, vanilla, coffee, cola and a cornucopia of fruits. A “smoker” also can regulate the amount of nicotine – 11, 18 or 24 mg sizes – or choose no nicotine at all.

A 30 mg bottle costs about $17. It can last two to three weeks depending on its use, making it significantly cheaper than a few packs of cigarettes.

Del Sesto said a basic electronic cigarette kit, including the cartridge and battery, sells for about $50 to $100, depending on size of the cartridge and the holder. 

Hours for the shop are 10 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday and 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday.