Even before Ruddington’s latest village centre business has opened its doors, the new signage revealing what it’s to become has caused a bit of an outcry.
Housed in the former butcher’s shop at 15, Church Street, which underwent a total refurbishment around six months’ ago, the recently added shopfront states it’s an ‘Electronic & Vape Store’ with a further illuminated neon sign emphasising the ‘Vape Shop’ aspect. Residents have written to RUDDINGTON.info complaining the signage is “…horrible and not at all in keeping…”, that the business is unsuitable for our village and should not be allowed to open, and particular worries have been expressed about vapes potentially being sold illegally to teenagers under 18.
However, those taking on the lease are reassuring villagers they have no intention of breaking the law, and are keen to point out that selling vapes is just one facet of their new venture. In fact, mobile ‘phone and laptop spares and repairs, alongside selling other electronic accessories, are intended to form their core business. A selection of chilled soft drinks along with rare speciality teas will also be sold in the shop.
Some well-groomed gents in Ruddington will already know owners Dara Ashad and Diyar Abdalla (pictured below) from Ruddington Barber – who opened their first village shop in the former ‘Classic Cuts’ hairdressers on High Street eight months’ ago. This time they’re offering something a little different…
“We’re trying to open something that is not already here” says Diyar, who’ll be running their new business on a day-to-day basis. “There’s no ‘phone shop or vape shop in Ruddington so we’re seeing if there’s a demand for it. I’ve worked in a ‘phone shop before, and also in an off-licence, so I’ve got experience in not serving underage people. We will abide by the law – and there’ll be a ‘No Under 18s’ sign on the door. If teenagers come in with no ID we won’t serve them. I’m quite good at spotting fake IDs, too!”
As well as public health concerns, worries have also been expressed about the increasing environmental impact of used vapes, which often end up in landfill because they’re tricky to recycle; having plastic, metal, liquid residue and battery components to separate.
“We’ll have a box in the shop where people can bring back their used vapes – then we will return them to the company to recycle and reuse them” reassures Dara. “People around Ruddington are very friendly, and we don’t want to upset anyone in the village! We want to be part of the ‘family’ and provide them with a useful shop where they can get ‘phone cases, screen protectors, chargers, leads and other accessories – like speakers, car mounts and headphones – as well as offering repairs for their mobiles and laptops.”
The finishing touches are currently being added to the new shop – which is scheduled to open for business next week.
We’ll bring you our regular RUDDINGTON.info round-up of other recent Ruddington business arrivals soon…
