IN A PUFF OF SMOKE

In an ongoing research project exploring people’s experiences of their local areas, one theme sparked curiosity - vape shops. For a couple of the people we spoke to, their growing presence felt like evidence of a high street in decline.

As part of the research, I captured interviews, video and photography with vape shop employees in two specialist stores, who told a different story. Behind the neon signs there’s a local scene, regulars, and a sense of community - but they also acknowledge sky-rocketing bills and that the high street is struggling.

The video brings these perspectives together, the perception and the reality. And it leaves a question: if vape shops disappear, what will take their place on the high street?