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In a stretch of Route 5 covering less than a mile, from the North Thompsonville Fire Department to the state line, there are 7 smoke shops.
ENFIELD, CT — What do seven commercial buildings on the northern segment of Enfield Street, which formerly contained such businesses as an alterations shop, an ice cream parlor, a liquor store, a graphics firm, an electrical supplier and a diner, all have in common? They now all house smoke shops, which have become prevalent in the North Thompsonville area over the past three years.
A ban by the state of Massachusetts on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, was enacted on June 1, 2020, and has resulted in a boon of smoke shops appearing in the first mile of Route 5 in Enfield.
From the state line to the North Thompsonville Fire Department on the corner of Brainard Road, a stretch of nine-tenths of a mile or 4,752 feet, there are now seven such retailers. Some have been in business for a number of years, including Vibrations, Northern Lights and Smoke N Munch. Others, such as Voltage Vape Shop, Smoke Land, Smoke Zone and Bogey's, have appeared more recently.
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"Massachusetts currently bans the sale of all flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including flavored electronic cigarettes (vaping) and menthol cigarettes," Enfield Director of Economic & Community Development Nelson Tereso told Patch. "Connecticut does not have these restrictions. North Thompsonville has easy access to I-91 which travels directly north into Massachusetts, which makes this area very desirable for smoke shops."
A canvass of the shops by Patch Monday revealed a vast majority of the vehicles in their parking lots bore Massachusetts plates.
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