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Vaping
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vaping is growing, which is why he wants to
franchise his business.
"It's just now become more mainstream,"
said Ricciardi, a self-described "serial entre-
preneur" who has worked in restaurants,
bars, mortgages and landscaping.
Marc Romanow of Plainville is acting
as the franchising development specialist
for the Mist Essentials chain as it seeks to
expand. There have been no unique chal-
lenges for franchising a business that sells a
controlled substance, he said.
As long as a franchisee complies with local
and state laws they won't have legal issues,
Romanow said, citing California, Illinois and
New York as difficult states for franchisors.
Also, he added, setting up the franchise in
Connecticut ran counter to what some might
expect. "Connecticut is actually a delight
when it comes to franchisors and franchisees.
I'm speaking from the perspective of having
to work with other states," Romanow said.
Mist Essentials has had inquiries from
New Jersey and other states. "We want to
branch out first locally before pushing out to
other states," Ricciardi said. "We're not trying
to sell 10 franchises a month. We still have a
store to run. We're slowly going to build the
brand. It's a long-term play."
Inventory and startup costs, including the
franchise fee, are $60,000 to $120,000, Ricciardi
said. There is also a 6.5 percent royalty fee. n
The smoking area of
Smooth Vaporz in
Waterbury.
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