Royal Tobacco & Vapor

Ask anyone who shops here and the first name you'll hear is Reema. She's the reason a lot of folks keep coming back to Royal Tobacco & Vapor, and one newcomer who recently moved to Cary from Georgia said she made this the only shop worth returning to. Word around town is she takes her time, rings you up right, and treats you like a regular from the first visit.

Ray gets a shout too, once helping out a guy who walked in "down bad without a lighter." This is a tobacco shop with real depth to the shelves. Locals will tell you there's tons of inventory and plenty of brand selection: vapes and disposables, e-liquid and vape juice, cigars, hookah and shisha, rolling papers, and the smaller accessories that round out a shop like this. One regular who bought a hookah here almost a year ago says he's used it every day since, and appreciated that the owner took the time to figure out which one would actually suit him rather than pushing the priciest option.

People who shop here swear by the prices too, calling them affordable and fair. The atmosphere is friendly and easygoing, the kind of place where the staff will hear you out if you have questions. We'll be straight with you: a couple of people have grumbled, one about a card surcharge that wasn't posted up front, another about the no-returns policy.

Worth asking about payment fees and return terms before you buy so there are no surprises. That said, the overall word on Royal is warm, and it's one of the better-regarded tobacco shops in Cary, North Carolina. If you're nearby, ask for Reema and see for yourself.