DICKSON CITY, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — The owners of a Dickson City vape shop that doubles as a community gathering space for live music and local artists say a new Pennsylvania law regulating vaping products will force them to close unless they can reinvent their business before an October deadline.
Union Vapors 570 announced on social media that it plans to shut down after Act 57 of 2025 takes effect. The law created Pennsylvania’s Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) directory, a registry of vaping products that manufacturers certify meet federal Food and Drug Administration requirements. Products not listed on the registry will be subject to seizure beginning Oct. 19, 2026.
The business is owned by Gage Lewis, Ken Stucker, and Alexander Rink.
Lewis told FOX56 the shop specializes in higher-end vaping products rather than the disposable devices commonly sold at convenience stores.
“We don’t sell the regular vape products you would find in a gas station,” Lewis said. “Most of our products are more upscale and our selection of products and devices is enormous.”
According to Lewis, the new law has left the business with few options.
“We need to begin liquidating our inventory now because we have an October 19 deadline,” he said. “Currently, 97% of the vapes we sell are not on the state-approved list, and none of the devices are approved.”
Lewis noted that retailers have no authority to add products to the registry.
“Retailers can’t get the products on the approved list. Manufacturers will need to do that, and there’s a waiting list,” he said.
Act 57 was signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro in December 2025. Under the legislation, manufacturers were required to submit products for inclusion in the state’s ENDS directory. The Attorney General’s Office published the initial directory on June 20, and products not appearing on the list cannot legally be sold after Oct. 19 unless manufacturers complete the certification process.
Most of the approved products are what one might find in a gas station, manufactured by billion-dollar companies like Juul.
In a statement shared during the shop’s weekly open mic night, co-owner Ken Stucker criticized the law, calling it a “Big Tobacco-backed effort” that limits consumer choice. He said constitutional challenges to the law have been filed but are unlikely to be resolved before enforcement begins.
The announcement extends beyond the vape business itself.
Union Vapors has become a fixture in northeastern Pennsylvania’s independent music and arts scene, hosting concerts, open mic nights, and Stronghold Studios, an art gallery featuring local artists. The owners said many scheduled events have already been canceled as they begin winding down operations.
Despite announcing the closure, Lewis said the owners are hoping to preserve the business in another form.
“We still have another two years on our lease and a business loan to pay off, so we’re trying to find a way to reimagine the space to keep the doors open,” he said.
For now, the owners are asking the community to support the business by visiting the shop, purchasing remaining inventory and supporting the artists whose work is displayed inside.
While the future of Union Vapors remains uncertain, the owners say they hope the sense of community built over the past three years will continue, regardless of what comes next.