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Vaporizers have quickly risen in use as an alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes in recent years, and two business owners will soon open a store that seeks to embrace the culture of “vaping” in Asbury Park.

Irene Gasparyan and Chris Cook [at right] have signed a lease at 611 Bangs Avenue, between Bond and Emory streets, where they will open Evaporate, a personal vaporizer, herbal vaporizer, e-liquid and accessories bar and lounge, sometime in February.

Customers will be able to sit, relax and vape — an industry term used since one does not actually inhale smoke, but instead a mixture of food-grade flavorings, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine, according to Cook. The vaporizers, commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes, are nicotine optional, he said.

“They are not the disposable types that people are used to seeing at gas stations,” Cook said. “You can recharge them, reuse them and get more of a benefit from them.”

Patrons will be able to sample or purchase liquids at a tasting bar, and if they lack a device several will be available for purchase. There will also be chargers and other industry gadgets for sale, and if your device is running low on power, you’ll be able to power up at a charging bank in the store.

Evaporate will adhere to the same laws New Jersey has for traditional cigarette use, which means anyone under the age of 19 won’t be able to make a purchase or partake in the vape lounge area.

Cook and Gasparyan, who are life partners as well as business partners, decided to give up traditional cigarettes as part of a New Year’s resolution they made together two years ago and took up vaping instead. They started off with disposable e-cigarettes but they weren’t convenient enough, so they switched to the personal, rechargeable vaporizers that can be filled with flavored e-liquids and herbal extracts.

“You can also gradually reduce the amount of nicotine in it, which you can’t really do with any other nicotine delivery device,” said Gasparyan, who lowered her usage of nicotine over time and now vapes nicotine-free.

“Behaviorally, it’s a really great alternative,” she said.

Whereas traditional cigarettes are loaded with thousands of chemicals, there are less than five in electronic cigarettes, Cook said, which is why he views vaping as a healthier option to smoking traditional cigarettes.

“I think people hate smoking,” Cook said. “For years, everyone has been buying into big tobacco. Everything is moving forward now. The industry is still evolving and we are really trying to go with the flow.”

Cook, a Brick and Jackson native, met Gasparyan, who hails from southern California, through the internet few years ago. The two traveled abroad together before choosing to settle in New Jersey. Gasparyan has a love of the creative, artistic vibe inherent in the San Francisco area and, as far as being able to find that same vibe in New Jersey, she finds Asbury Park is the most similar.

“It’s on the verge of really turning into something interesting,” she said of the city.

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