A vape shop in Cornwall has been slammed by locals for its 'inappropriate and offensive name' - but the owners have no plans to change it.
Cousins Anton Perrins and Chris Anderson set up shop in Callington, with their store specialising in electronic cigarette and liquids opening on Fore Street on Tuesday (15 February).
The pair said they forked out thousands and worked crazy hours refurbishing the building ahead of opening, but they hit a snag after someone reported them to the council over their choice of name.
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'The Vapeist' has been deemed by some residents to be a poor taste play on words with the word 'rapist', but Anton and Chris are adamant that's not the case.
Indeed, they've said they're going to stick with the name and prove they're 'good guys'.
"The truth is that people who vape are refereed to as 'vapeists'," 34-year-old Anton said.
"It wasn’t intended that way at all and it stunned us a little bit that people thought that.
"We were even more stunned when we found out that the council had given us a bit of a nudge and said there had been a complaint. They were not particularly bothered about it and said to us more out of courtesy to let us know.
"That's when I tried to explain to people the best I could that it's really not how it sounds and I was quite amazed by how much local support we got telling us to ignore it."
Indeed, the pair were considering moving to a new town after hearing about the report to the council, but they decided to stay after receiving support from other locals.
Anton explained: "At the end of the day you could say it with anything like a cyclist or motorist. We really didn't want to upset anybody.
"A few people have been less critical and said it wouldn't be their name of choice but that's fine. Other people who do vape have turned around and said they haven’t got an issue with it and understand it.
"If you type it in Google it comes up and explains it's a word used to describe people who vape."
Having forked out on signage, the pair are now hoping to win people over with the name.
Anton said: "We're going to try and change those opinions because we like to think we're a nice couple of lads.
"We're friendly enough and nice enough to get on with anybody and you can see what we're like if you pop in and say hello."
Well, whatever the intention behind the name, it's certainly got the launch of their new shop some coverage, so you'd imagine they're pretty pleased with the end result.
LADbible has contacted Callington Town Council for comment.
Topics: UK News
Jake Massey