Given its addictive popularity, it's hard to know where to begin with vaping.

But given the mixed martial arts gym, the Skil drill press, and Thursday's upcoming vote by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, let's start with the conflicted neighbors at Southeast 82nd and Bybee Boulevard.

The Vape 9 Lounge was first in the door at the renovated retail space. "When we got here, there was no drywall, no lights," says Alex Nguyen, who owns the vape shop with his uncle, Vinh Pham. "We built our place from the ground up."

They built well. Elegant display cases. A sweet array of flavors. "The most popular now are the cookies," says Alvin Thammavongsa, 21, who was managing the shop Monday. "Momma's Cookies. Butter Caramel. Mister Cookie. Fantasy flavors. The desserts. You're still getting the nicotine, but you're not tasting the tobacco."

As Thammavongsa sees it, Vape 9 - like countless other vape shops - "is here to help people and show them there's an alternative to smoking.

"I'm not saying this is a lot safer," he concedes, "but our stuff is a vapor. It evaporates faster than cigar smoke." What's more, customers can turn the voltage up or down on their nicotine obsession. If all else fails, Thammavongsa cranks up the cherry-red Skil drill press on the bar and bores a bigger hole into the e-juice tank "so you get a less restrictive draw."

And all the more vapor. Which is beginning to wear on World Class Athletics, the health-conscious MMA gym in the building.

"We have a downstairs area that shares the same ventilation system," says trainer Dylan Atkinson. "If they're smoking, the air gets all misty. You can see it in the air, and you can definitely smell it."

Ripe Mango? Gummi Bears? That fabulous dessert tray?

"They all smell like burnt popcorn, with a hint of flavor," Atkinson says. And, owner Robin Woods adds, the vapers are impacting a gym that features massage, acupuncture and classes for kids.

"People notice it as soon as they walk in."

Landlord Tim Nguyen pointed out that his tenants "haven't gotten along since Day 1. They're just like kids. They blow up. That's not how you solve the problem."

The Multnomah County commissioners agree, and they have an uncompromising solution: They will vote Thursday to ban vaping anywhere in the county where smoking is already prohibited, and -- finally -- outlaw the use of e-cigarettes by minors.

County Chair Deborah Kafoury is alarmed by the growth in vaping.

"When we started this conversation," she says, "I was surprised to learn my 9-year-old could walk into any corner store, purchase an e-cigarette and smoke it legally.

"We're not making (vaping) illegal. We're not making it hard to purchase. But youth under 18 shouldn't be allowed to use it, and you shouldn't be smoking (e-cigarettes) in public places."

Matt Minahan, lobbyist for the Northwest Vapor Association, says the county ordinance will do a "huge disservice" to shops like Vape 9.

"We're 110 percent on board for not selling to minors," Minahan says. "That is not our target audience. Our target audience is the people who have been smoking for 20-plus years and want to quit."

Never mind that a much younger crowd is featured in the prime-time photos on the Vape 9 website.

Minahan -- still pained by the unfortunate timing of scheduling "Vape Day" at the state Capitol on Feb. 18, the day Gov. Kate Brown was inaugurated -- believes vape shops merit an exclusion from any state or county move to regulate e-cigarettes.

"Smoking in vape shops is an essential part of getting people off smoking," he argues. If vapers can't sample e-juices inside the vape shops, he adds, "People will go on the Internet and buy them from China, and who the hell knows what's in those?"

"You're going to have the county saying you can't smoke in vape shops," Minahan predicted, "and the state saying you can."

Like the Multnomah County Health Department, Kafoury is fine with that:

"We shouldn't wait for the state to take action. It's important we try to do something locally."

Especially when the move will clear the air at the local gym.

-- Steve Duin

sduin@oregonian.com

503-221-8597; @SteveDuin