Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Swing.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Steven. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been a very ambitious individual and first used that ambition to make my way up the ladder in the financial industry for over eight years. Where my passion for entrepreneurship started was during the Great Recession where I saw how fragile a good job can be and although it took me a while of working my way thru the industry, I was able to learn everything that I needed to be able to be my own boss during that time as well. Constantly dealing with business clients in the banking industry, I was able to acquire a lot necessary knowledge to learn how to take some of my side projects and turn them into something special that could really allow me to switch my direction from trying to work my way up in a company, to building my own.
After I started seeing a lot of people’s jobs in the banking industry change due to a lot of fraudulent accounts in the industry in 2016, it reminded me of the Great Recession and how fragile even a long career can be and I wanted to take back control over my income instead of leaving my fate up to different people who didn’t have a stake in how my life would be impacted by the company changes. I started looking for investment opportunities and ended up in the hookah lounge industry.
This lead to a new love for making hookahs and perfecting the process. I had gone to a lot of different smoke shops over the years between vaping and hookahs and hardly was able to find good products and people who were able to help me have the best experience with those products. One night after purchasing a hookah for my friend’s birthday, I realized I had bought another bad hookah. Fed up, I had found which business I would end up launching for the future and quit my job after seven years to open my own smoke shop where my customers wouldn’t have to experience the same things that I had, and the rest is history!
Has it been a smooth road?
It was never a smooth road to getting the business open and successful. Because I had a different concept of a smoke shop, there were a few more hurdles that even research didn’t allow me to anticipate.
The first hurdle was raising the rest of the funds needed to execute my concept at a high level. I had always believed that as you rise, you should bring the people who helped you get to where you are with you. So I reached out to friends and family first and had two of my best friends invest in my vision as well as friends from college and also people from the community in which we would be serving. The second hurdle was waiting for permitting and other resources through the City of Atlanta, which cause us a delay our open by a few months.
The last hurdles were media coverage of the industry and federal regulations. Within a few months of us opening, we dealt with the age restrictions on smoking going up to 21 from 18 and also the bad publicity on vaping due to bad THC cartridges on the market.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Great Smoke – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Great Smoke is a unique smoke shop where we specialize in everything smoke, from vapes and hookahs to CBD, Cigars and various other smoking supplies. We make sure we get the best brands and best values so that you get quality products without having to pay high prices. We constantly adapt and change our product selection to serve all of our customers and make sure they have the best products available so they have a location they know and trust to have a great experience.
We combine this experience with a whole indoor smoking lounge where you can come in and enjoy a hookah or smoke anything purchased in the store. Making hookahs in a lot of different ways and being able to smoke the hookahs that we actually sell in the store is very different to how most shops and lounges operate. We put everything we teach and sell to customers out there for customers to actually try and vibe with other smokers in a safe environment where you can talk about all the different ways people enjoy whatever they smoke. You can come during the day and enjoy a coffee shop vibe to study or have a meeting or just come at night on the weekends to enjoy up and coming DJ with various events that are unique to Atlanta!
Another thing Great Smoke strives to do is reflect the community in which is serves from product selection to having the community’s hands in everything from the construction of the store to our 84 foot Art Gallery which features some of the most exciting up and coming artists in the city, including a mural painted by a veteran who grew up in the area. We want the shop to not just reflect the community but also to show the talent that is in the area and how, when that talent is brought together, it can thrive. Even with all the great things we offer at the shop, we are also on the move as well! Offering catering services to any type or size event that allows you to bring the best hookahs into any party or event to spice it up!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Coming from a small town in Northeast Georgia, when I moved to Atlanta in 2009 for college, it was a great experience. Atlanta is all about community and helping each other come up, which has a very small community vibe even though it’s a larger city. Everyone knows a person who knows a person and makes it a lot easier to be resourceful when it comes to promoting entrepreneurship and personal development. Having no family or friends in the city, it quickly became my home as I got plugged into a lot of different communities. I’ve seen a lot of people move away and then move back because of how close each of these communities are and considers moving to Atlanta, one of the best moves I’ve made in my life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2790 Lakewood Ave SW Ste B, Atlanta, GA 30315
- Website: www.great-smoke.com
- Phone: 678-661-9922
- Email: info@great-smoke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatsmokeatl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatsmokeatl
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/greatsmokeatl
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/great-smoke-atlanta-2
Image Credit:
BIG Productions
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