By Deb Risden
The Vape Lounge opened its doors in Falcon at 7111 McLaughlin Road on Aug. 1. It replaces the company’s Calhan shop, which opened in 2017. Owner Dwight Milstead also operates locations in Limon and Fountain.
“We started out as two old guys who got bored and thought, ‘We can do this better,’” Milstead said. “If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have done it this way — we started on a shoestring budget and it grew organically. I don’t know how it worked, but it did.”
Milstead, a U.S. Army veteran who is originally from Ohio, moved to Colorado in 2002 for work at Schriever Space Force Base. He and his wife, Gladys, live in Colorado Springs.
The Vape Lounge sells a variety of vaping products, including national-brand e-liquids, vaping devices, nicotine salts and disposable vapes. The store also carries CBD products such as Koi CBD gummies and CBD dog treats. Milstead said customers purchase CBD dog treats to help their dogs with pain, anxiety and stress.
“Carrying national brands and premixed e-liquids sets us apart,” Milstead said. “When it’s premixed, the nicotine has a chance to steep — basically letting it age so it absorbs into the liquid. That differentiates us from house blends and ensures consistency.”
He said disposables remain one of the most popular sellers because they are easy to use and returnable for recycling. The shop also sells accessories for all major vaping brands.
Amanda Bratrsovsky, store manager, said customers can expect to find a wide range of recognizable labels. “We carry national brands like Noms, Monster, Vapetasia, Humble, Pod Juice, Cloud Nurdz, Hi Drip, Juice Head and Candy King,” she said. “We’ve also got accessories, kits and about eight different lines of disposables.”
In addition to product selection, Milstead said customer service drives the company’s success.
“When you walk into our store, we greet you and get to know you,” he said. “The key is to figure out what someone’s pain is and solve it. That might be helping them find the right product, or it might just be giving them a chance to come in and chat. We’ve got a lot of repeat customers — some come in for new flavors, some just to talk.”
The Falcon store is open Monday through Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Milstead said he is grateful for how far the business has come since its start in Calhan.
“We’ve grown a lot over the years,” he said. “The way we see it, this is about giving people good service, fair prices and products they can trust.”
For more information, visit https://thevapeloungeco.com.
