Advertisement
Advertise with us
sidenav

AVAIL Vapor Has Sold or Closed 100 Vape Shops and Other Assets

Advertisement
Advertise with us

One of the largest independent vaping businesses in the United States is selling off assets and closing the vape shops it hasn’t already sold. AVAIL Vapor, based in Richmond, VA, at one time owned over 100 branded vape shops, a regulatory compliance and consulting business, and a major wholesale distribution company.

The company’s founder and CEO blames the FDA’s chaotic attempt to regulate the vaping industry, along with the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s completely just a mess with FDA policy making and policy strategy,” AVAIL CEO James Xu told Richmond BizSense. “It just did not make any sense from day one.”

AVAIL began in 2013 with a few vape shops and an e-liquid manufacturing business in Richmond, but Xu had big plans for the modest vape business. And even after the FDA laid out its blueprint in 2014 to cripple the independent industry by imposing burdensome and expensive requirements for market authorization, Xu and AVAIL expanded rapidly, apparently trusting that the FDA would reverse course.

“We believe that FDA regulations and e-vapor consumers’ interests are aligned in that consumers want to know what is in their e-juice,” Xu said in 2015.

Quote

“In any other industry, their financial backing and regulatory consultants would have meant something.”

"Avail Vapor made the mistake of wanting to dominate the market for products that were long marked for prohibition by the federal government,” American Vaping Association President Gregory Conley told Vaping360.

The small company grew rapidly during the years before the FDA finished its slow walk towarda shadow ban of flavored e-liquid. AVAIL Vapor expanded to over 100 vape shops by 2017, when it began a partnership with tobacco manufacturer Altria. The relationship with Altria soon ended, but AVAIL continued to grow.

AVAIL branched out to become a major contract manufacturer of e-liquid for other brands. It also launched a regulatory compliance business that offered lab services and consulting to vape businesses navigating the FDA’s complex Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) process.

In January 2020, AVAIL split into three separate companies:

  • AVAIL Vapor, LLC: retail and manufacturing
  • Blackbriar Regulatory Services, LLC: contract manufacturing, and FDA compliance consulting and laboratory services
  • Blackship Technologies, LLC: research and development services

In April 2020, according to BizSense, AVAIL had 350 employees. In June 2020, the company bought Giant Vapes, a major online vape retailer, and its subsidiary Giant Distribution, a wholesale supplier of e-liquid and vaping products.

Quote

Xu says AVAIL has spent more than $10 million on its PMTAs since the Deeming Rule was implemented in 2016.

Xu told Richmond BizSense that sale of the Blackbriar lab and compliance business is close to being completed, and that Giant Vapes is no longer owned by AVAIL (although the company that owns it is incorporated at one of AVAIL’s addresses). AVAIL sold 30 of its vape shops to North Carolina-based competitor Madvapes in August, and the rest have been sold or closed since.

AVAIL’s own e-liquids are still sold through Giant Vapes. Although the company’s flavored product PMTAs received a Marketing Denial Order (MDO) from the FDA on Sept. 15, the FDA stayed enforcement of the MDO on Nov. 1, pending an administrative appeal. Xu says AVAIL has spent more than $10 million on its PMTAs since the Deeming Rule was implemented in 2016.

“In any other industry, their financial backing and regulatory consultants would have meant something,” says the AVA’s Conley. “But the FDA's unannounced check-the-box PMTA review process doomed Avail and its employees to this fate."

Advertisement
Advertise with us
Latest Reviews
Article preview image
Freemax REXA PRO & REXA SMART Review: Too Smart?

The Freemax REXA PRO and REXA SMART are highly advanced pod vapes, offering seemingly endless features, beautiful touchscreens, and new DUOMAX pods.

Wed Jul 30 2025
Article preview image
OXVA XLIM Pro 2 DNA Review: A Match Made in Heaven!

The OXVA XLIM Pro 2 DNA is powered by a custom-made Evolv DNA chipset, offering a Replay function and dry hit protection. Read our review to find out more.

Fri Jul 18 2025
Article preview image
SKE Bar Review: A Reusable Crystal Bar!

The SKE Bar is a 2 mL replaceable pod vape with a 500 mAh battery, a 1.2-ohm mesh coil, and 35 flavors to choose from in 2% nicotine.

Mon Jul 7 2025
Advertisement
Advertise with us
Latest Learn
vaping taxes
Vaping Taxes in the United States and Around the World

Because of declining cigarette sales, state governments in the U.S. and countries around the world are looking to vapor products as a new source of tax revenue.

Thu Jul 31 2025
How Old Do You Have to Be to Vape?
How Old Do You Have to Be to Vape?

The legal age to buy e-cigarettes and other vaping products varies around the world. The United States recently changed the legal minimum sales age to 21.

Tue Jul 1 2025
Where vaping is banned or restricted
Vape Bans: E-Cigarette Restrictions in the U.S. and Worldwide

A list of vaping product flavor bans and online sales bans in the United States, and sales and possession bans in other countries.

Fri Jul 4 2025
About Authors
Jim McDonald
845 posts

Smokers created vaping for themselves without help from the tobacco industry or anti-tobacco crusaders, and I believe vapers and the vaping industry have the right to continue innovating to give everyone who wants to use nicotine access to safe and attractive non-combustible options. My goal is to provide clear, honest information about vaping and the challenges nicotine consumers face from lawmakers, regulators, and brokers of disinformation. You can find me on Twitter @whycherrywhy

See author’s profile
Vaping360.com strives to be the world's most trusted resource for vapers and smokers. We take pride in our editorial integrity, accuracy, and the honesty of our writers.
Read more about us

Rely on Our Expertise

At Vaping360, we take pride in our deep expertise and years of experience in the vaping industry. Our dedicated team of professionals is committed to leveraging their extensive knowledge to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.

Authenticity

Genuine insights backed by thorough and exhaustive research and testing.

Reliability

Consistent, accurate information from the vaping industry experts.

Empowerment

Transparent and reliable content for confident and informed decision-making.

About us

Our mission is clear: to help people who smoke transition to low-risk alternatives and contribute to a smoke-free world. With each article we publish and each review we conduct, we're working towards this goal.

about-us-banner
product preview