Thunderstorms during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Tonight
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Antonio and Barbara Saverino stand outside Bluestem Bistro in Aggieville. Antonio Saverino said he was into some bad things in his youth, but he has worked hard to build his own business and now is preparing for an early retirement.
Antonio and Barbara Saverino stand outside Bluestem Bistro in Aggieville. Antonio Saverino said he was into some bad things in his youth, but he has worked hard to build his own business and now is preparing for an early retirement.
Most people work all their lives but don’t get to retire until old age but for Antonio Saverino, retirement was possible at 44. Saverino and his wife, Barbara, say that this was thanks to hard work, sacrifice, and saving money. After years of running a business and a lifetime of working, the Saverinos are excited for a relaxing retirement in sunny Belize.
When Saverino was a teenager, he went to juvenile detention for burglary, and later prison when he aged out of juvie. Saverino said that stealing was not worth it, given that he served five years for stealing a total of $7. He says he takes full responsibility for his poor decisions in youth, and has worked hard to prove that he is not his past.
After being released in 1999, Saverino worked as a plumber. He went on to teach the trade, which led him to move from Minneapolis to Manhattan in 2008.
While visiting Oklahoma City, Saverino’s mother showed him a vape bar. At this time, he had been trying, unsuccessfully, to quit smoking. Saverino said that seeing a bar where people could still smoke or vape inside was a whole new experience. It was then when he realized there was a market for e-cigarettes, inspiring him to open the Vape Bar on Tuttle Creek Boulevard. The first location opened in 2014.
Saverino was also involved in writing laws for e-cigarettes in the early 2010s, when the industry was growing and needed to be regulated for the safety of consumers. For instance, drafting laws forbidding sales or minors or marketing the product in any way that would appeal to children, and ensuring that the product is pure and safe for consumption.
“Basically, policing ourselves,” Saverino said.
In the first year, three vape shops were opened. There are currently six locations. The Vape Bar was sold to an employee in 2021.
Being a business owner brought in an income of between $70 to $80 thousand a year, which Saverino says relatively isn’t that much. He instead attributes his financial stability more to smart money habits, especially becoming debt free, saving money, and paying off his house early.
“They can’t take it away from you if it’s already yours,” Saverino said.
Saverino and his wife have now been retired for two months and have been selling all they have in preparation to leave for Belize. They chose Belize as their new home because of the cheaper standard of living, the warm climate, and English being the primary language. Saverino says that will give a smooth transition before learning more Spanish.
“You can’t buy time,” Saverino said. “We want to see the world while we’re still young enough to do so.”
