E-cigs—they’re not your father’s cigarettes. They’re hipper, they’re digital, and they're officially changing the cigarette market in Traverse City.

For the uninitiated, an e-cigarette is a device that looks like a regular cigarette. But instead of burning tobacco, it uses a battery to heat and vaporize a liquid solution. It might even have an LED at the end that lights up to simulate burning. It’s called "vaping." No fire, no ash, and no smoky smell; just vapor. And it’s catching on locally.

“A new culture is brewing in TC--vaping is the wave of the future!” posts 30 year-old Ashleigh Hanchett of Traverse City on Facebook.

Vaping is big in most metropolitan areas, so it’s not a surprise to see the trend blow into northern Michigan, where several dedicated vape shops have opened, and most tobacco shops and gas stations now carry e-cig supplies.

“Just like Google changed the phone book, e-cigarettes have taken over analog cigarettes and have changed the way people smoke,” says Eric Piedmonte, majority owner of Grand Traverse Vapor, with locations on Eighth Street and at US-31 South at Chums Corner.

Convinced that vaping is “the wave of the future” and not just a fad, Piedmonte plans to open two more stores within the year, revealing Cadillac as his next location.

“Vaping stores are in every major city,” he tells The Ticker. “I saw an opportunity to introduce the area to high-end, quality products that you won’t find at any gas station. We carry the best products available. It’s what brings our customers back and keeps them coming back.”

Smokers got the cold shoulder in 2010 when Governor Granholm signed the smoking ban legislation. E-cigarettes are not regulated, but that might soon change, as the FDA mulls new regulations and definitions. State lawmakers are pursuing their own rules with pending legislation to impose age limits.

With the idea of bringing smokers back indoors, Anita Somerville and her son, Jami Brueggeman, opened On the Go Vapors in Kalkaska.

“We have WiFi and a place to sit, have coffee, and just relax,” she says. “Some of our clientele just want to smoke but don't want to go outside or don't want to smoke in the car or they have a loved one that can't be around smoke.”

For some, taking up e-cigarettes becomes more of a hobby, complete with fresh new lingo and hip accessories. For others, like Grand Traverse Vapor customer Tina Long, it's a way to quit a bad habit.

“I smoked for thirty years,” she says. “Now, I only use e-cigarettes and I feel great. I don’t have that smoker’s cough anymore.”

Because they preserve the hand-to-mouth ritual of smoking, e-cigarettes could help smokers like Long switch from a harmful tobacco habit to a potentially less harmful e-smoking habit (there’s not much evidence on this point, but plenty of user debate). For now, FDA regulations forbid such cessation claims.

There is credible evidence, however, to show that vaping continues to grow in popularity. Industry analysts like Bonnie Herzog of Wells Fargo Securities predict that e-cigarette sales could push $1 billion in sales this year and could surpass conventional cigarette sales within a decade. E-cigarette use doubled among middle and high school students and adult smokers from 2011 to 2012, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

“I think in five years there will be more vapor cafes like ours,” Somerville predicts. “Bars and other common places may actually start to see business again—like they had before smoking was banned. I think this is gonna be a turning point for the smaller businesses to stay in the game.”