Category: Business

Where there is smoke, there may be fire. And, where there are smoking needs, there is Best Smoke Shop & Hookah, with everything smokers need and more, plus a hookah lounge coming soon.

If Best Smoke Shop & Hookah — located just east of I-75 on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel — doesn’t have it, owner Dean Refai says that he will get it for you. Since 2012, Refai’s shop has been the epicenter of smoking supplies, carrying everything from hookahs and waterpipes to cigars and E-cigarettes, plus everything in between.

“We know everything there is to know about smoke,” Refai says. “I think Wesley Chapel needed a store like this.”

Refai decided to open Best Smoke Shop after some friends recommended it as a good entrepreneurial venture. Before opening the shop, Refai was working for a car dealership in Tampa, but says he wasn’t happy, so he and his wife decided to open a smoke shop. The doors opened to the original location, on E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa, in 2007.

Seeing a need, and already living in the area, Refai decided to move Best Smoke Shop to its current Wesley Chapel location in 2012.

“We sell everything about smoking,” Refai says. “If customers don’t see what they’re looking for, I will special order it for them.”

However, it’s not often that Best Smoke Shop doesn’t have what its customers are looking for, Refai says, because of his constant travel around the country to attend industry conventions, where all of the latest smoking- related products are always on display.

“Our inventory is always rotating,” Refai says. “If I see something new at a show, I get it. I try to keep up with everything new that comes out.”

Refai says that products can even change as quickly as month-to-month, as new fads begin to trend. One of the more recent examples, he explains, is electronic smoking. To keep up with the popularity of E-cigarettes and even E-hookahs, Refai keeps his shop stocked up with all the latest flavors from 7’s E Cigarettes, some of which contain no nicotine.

“(E-cigs) are good for helping people to quit smoking cigarettes,” Refai says. “I carry liquids that contain less nicotine than most cigarettes and some flavors that have little to no nicotine. I’ve had about 60 customers tell me that E-cigs have helped them quit smoking cigarettes in the past few months.”

Instead of smoking actual tobacco leaves, E-cigarettes vaporize a liquid and produce no actual smoke. Customers simply purchase and plug a liquid-filled cartridge into the battery-powered E-cigarette.

“Because they have the habit of holding something in their hands, (E- cigarettes) still give them the feeling of smoking without actually smoking,” Refai explains.

Of course, if a customer isn’t interested in quitting smoking cigarettes, Refai says, they also have the option of purchasing the cartridges that contain the normal amount of nicotine as a traditional cigarette. He adds that, in addition to not getting the typical cigarette odor on your clothes from smoking cigarettes and the convenience of still being able to “smoke” them indoors, E-cigarettes give smokers the option to wean themselves off of their nicotine addiction at their own pace.

The store also carries everything necessary to roll your own cigars and cigarettes at home, including Raw-brand cigarette-rolling papers. Best Smoke Shop also carries a wide range of different tobacco brands.

Don’t feel like rolling your own? Best Smoke Shop also carries traditional cigarettes, as well as a variety of premium cigars from popular brands such as Cohiba, Garcia y Vega, Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta.

The store also carries a variety of vaporizers, pipes and water pipes, for tobacco use only. Refai says his top- selling water pipe brand is Roor.

If you enjoy hookah smoking, Best Smoke Shop carries several brands, the most popular being Khalil Maamoon, Refai says. Hookahs vary in size from a few inches tall with one hose, to decorative hookahs that are several feet tall with multiple hoses.

Refai is in the process of adding a hookah lounge to the shop, complete with couches and even a belly dancer, but he says that he still is working out the details with Pasco County.

Refai insists: everything in the shop is legal to sell.

“It’s a clean smoke shop,” he explains. “We believe in clean business. We don’t sell anything that is illegal.”

Besides the wide range of smoking products, Refai says his customers will come back for Best Smoke Shop’s surprisingly low prices, something he makes a point of checking at other shops when he visits other cities.

“I just went to Houston last month and saw prices that were 70 percent higher than mine,” he says. It was the same thing when I was in Miami. We have the lowest prices in the area. I go out and search shops and online and make a conscious effort to keep our prices low.”

But, don’t just take his word for it.

“I come here all the time and the prices are the best around,” says a Meadow Pointe resident named Scott. “Dean knows what he’s talking about and always has the newest products. Before I came here, I would always get stuff on- line, but Best Smoke Shop is cheaper than (shopping on) the web.”

Tracy, a Quail Hollow resident, adds, “(Best Smoke Shop) is a great place. It has lots of good products and is always clean. I try to support local merchants whenever possible and Dean always has such a great selection.”

And, as if the prices weren’t low already, check the Best Smoke Shop ad on page 18 for a coupon that’s good for an additional 20-percent off select items.

Best Smoke Shop & Hookah is located at 28411 Wesley Chapel Blvd. (S.R. 54) and is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. Do you want to know if Dean carries a specific product? Call the shop at 991-1188 or visit BestSmokeShopFlorida.com.

And, don’t forget to “Like” the shop’s Facebook.com page, where new products are announced as they arrive.

 

By Gary Nager

Photos by Matt Wiley

So, with the local housing market finally showing signs of recovery, isn’t it time you made some much-needed upgrades to your home, whether to get it ready for sale or to make it a more beautiful place for you and your family to live?

Well, our friend Hui You and her staff at Cabinet & Stone International (located on N. 56th St. in Temple Terrace, between Busch Blvd. & Hillsborough Ave.), have always had great ideas for providing the best-looking kitchen and bathroom cabinets and granite and other stone countertops for your home, and as always, there are some new arrivals you should check out even if you’ve been through the Cabinet & Stone showroom before.

For about four months now, Cabinet & Stone — which has its own factory in China which produces the amazing cabinet lines designed by Hui and her staff here in Temple Terrace — has been featuring two exciting new all-wood cabinet designs, one being a sleek, Santorini white and the other in Manhattan espresso. The styles of the two new lines — which brings the total different cabinet and color choices available at Cabinet & Stone up to eight — are the same, only the handles are different, but they look totally different because of the handles, the cabinet configurations and the countertops you choose to go along with them.

Best of all, in addition to kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities available in the new Santorini white and Manhattan espresso colors, Cabinet & Stone also can create an entire closet system for your home in the same colors and styles.

With so many cabinet choices available now at the 30,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and showroom, Hui says Cabinet & Stone has had to split its existing showroom into two parts — one just to display bathroom cabinet and stone selections and the other is the new vanity and closet design center. She adds that she didn’t begin promoting the new design center right away (it’s been open for several months) because, “We wanted to make sure everything was perfect with the new designs first. Even without really promoting them, we have still sold a lot of them because when people see them in the showroom, they want to buy them and everybody really seems to love them.”

She says the new designs are skewed towards younger buyers because, “A lot of the people buying new houses are younger families who want a younger, more modern look,” she says, “and all of the colors and styles you see on our website (CabinetnStoneIntl.com) are Cabinet & Stone brands that we’ve designed.”

The deign center is also a great place to see all of the beautiful and popular new vessel sinks and vessel sink faucets that you find in modern, contemporary bathrooms you see in many new model homes. You also will find the also-popular under-mount sinks in the design center.

A Little History & More

According to its website, Cabinet & Stone International has been serving the greater Tampa Bay area as a family-operated business for more than 10 years. The families involved in the business have been involved with woodworking for more than 25 years in Fujian, China, where they have their factories and granite quarries. The company directly imports cabinets and granite counter tops, thus eliminating the “middleman” cost and Cabinet & Stone’s prices are very competitive. With a total of more than 70,000 square feet of warehouse space, the company is one of the largest distributors of pre-made cabinets and granite countertops on the east coast of the U.S.

Whether the order is from Grand Cayman or Upstate New York, a single cabinet order or a container, Cabinet & Stone is capable of meeting your needs.

“We believe that no job is too small or too big,” says Hui. “If you need your kitchen or bathroom yesterday, we can do it because everything is stocked here at the warehouse, so unless we’re out of stock on an item, there’s no wait or turnaround times.”

But, with new container shipments arriving from China every month, Hui says that you won’t even be waiting long for items that are temporarily out of stock, either.

“No one is going to get you your countertops or cabinets faster than we are or beat us for quality,” she says. “And whenever we check other company’s prices we know that we are saving our customers money.”

And, Cabinet & Stone has many customer testimonials to share, including this one from a customer named Anne.

“I just wanted to let you know how good the job looks and how much we appreciate your professionalism throughout the entire process. We will recommend you to all of our friends. Thanks again, and keep up the good work.”

All of the cabinets at Cabinet & Stone are 100-percent real wood, including oak, maple and birch. There are seven unique door styles each with designer selected colors in stock. All of them are solid wood fronts and plywood boxes and shelves stained in the same color as the front and there are absolutely NO particle boards The hardware also is top-of-the-line: full- extension, heavy duty glides, soft close glides, and six-way adjustable hinges.

The company also specializes in granite in many colors you need in any edges you want, in addition to our in-stock unique selections. We have both 2cm and 3cm in thickness.

[new_royalslider id=”20″]

For information about Cabinet & Stone International (6606 North 56th St., Tampa 33610, call 887-5658 or visit CabinetnStoneIntl.com. Bring in the Cabinet & Stone ad on page 48 and New Tampa customers will receive 25-percent-off their purchases. Ask at the store for details.

By Lauren Saslow | Photos by Frank Edmondson

The price of living in the Sunshine State is the toll the sun can take on our skin. Those who spend extended time in the sun — at work, at the beach, the pool, or at kids’ sporting events — can suffer short- and long-term skin damage that may include wrinkles, dryness and hyper-pigmentation.

The licensed aestheticians at Bliss Facial Spa (located in front of the Super Target on the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd. and County Line Rd. in Wesley Chapel) will tell you that, in addition to the necessary preventive care of daily sunscreen use, having regular facials and non-invasive skin treatments can add elasticity and a healthier glow to your face. Regular facials also can benefit teens or adults who suffer from acne.

Bliss offers a wide range of facial treatment options, including LED Therapy, cellulite reduction treatment, waxing services, eyelash extensions, massage therapy and skincare products with competitive pricing.

Owner Vicky Lysenko maintains a spa license for the business and leads her team of five licensed aestheticians — Natalie, Kristie, Brittany, Lauren and Bianca — each with additional product training, and two licensed massage therapists (LMTs) at this 1,400-sq.-ft. spa. While Lysenko does not have a cosmetology license and therefore doesn’t treat clients herself — the Arizona State University (in Tempe) graduate is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) by trade — she is proud that the aestheticians and LMTs at Bliss help her maintain a successful business that, she says, “offers the best technology without being a med spa.”

(Note-A medical spa, or “med spa,” by contrast, is an establishment offering advanced medical treatments, which oftentimes include more invasive and, therefore, more costly procedures, for skin and body beautification that under State law, requires licensed healthcare professionals under the direction of a medical doctor, as well as licensed aestheticians.)

Lysenko says she happened into this business almost by chance. In fact, she claims she never even had a facial before opened Bliss, thinking it was only for “high-maintenance women,” until becoming more educated about the industry. Her daughter, Shayla Herring, a licensed cosmetologist, was working at the front desk of Face Logic, which was a spa franchise in the same location that Bliss Facial Spa now occupies.

“Eventually, the entire Face Logic franchise went defunct,” explains Lysenko. “When we moved from Arizona to Tampa in 2008, Shayla suggested I invest in this spa. I called the bank and negotiated buying the assets of this location and hired two of the existing aestheticians. We opened in August 2010, and now I do the marketing and social networking, while the professional skin care therapists run the day-to-day business of booking appointments and treating clients. We have about 200 members who come every month for services.”

 A Soothing Environment

Upon entering the spa, clients will find an attractive lounge area across from the reception desk, with comfortable brown leather chairs and modern dark wood furniture. A mix of calming lyrical music plays gently through overhead speakers, while a flat-screen TV loops videos of the spa’s treatment options with before-and-after photos. The walls at Bliss are lined with their various skin care products, so that clients can continue their skin care routines at home. Some “starter” kits for sale include a sampling of several of the products for clients to try.

“Seventy-five percent of skin care is what you do at home,” insists Lysenko. “The other 25 percent are the treatments you get at the spa, where facials help to take off the top layer of dead skin to help your skin become healthier. We’re all about taking your skin care to the next level.”

Because some of the treatments require follow-up home skin care in order to maximize the benefits and see more drastic and lasting results, clients are encouraged to try the skin care lines available in the spa, including Image Skin Care, which is the spa’s main product line. Image, founded in 2003, is an international skincare company which designs and distributes scientifically engineered pharmaceutical-grade products.

Lysenko is confident that Bliss offers, “the latest and greatest” in both skin care products and technology, based upon each product’s reputation among the industry colleagues Vicky has met at trade shows, as well as from the feedback she gets from the spa’s customers. She also recommends that you try the sunless tanners at Bliss as an alternative to tanning salons. The Xen-Tan self tanners and bronzers available at Bliss have an olive undertone that appears more natural than many competitors’ brands, which often leave you with that fake orange tint.

 Affordable Prices, Too!

Bliss clients are escorted down a hallway — with low lighting, wood laminate flooring, a cool color scheme and soft instrumental music playing overhead — to to the eight treatment rooms, each with its own privacy curtains.

The menu at Bliss Facial Spa offers clients more than ten different types of facials and a dozen upgrades to appeal to each individual’s personal and budgetary needs and time constraints. The Signature Facial, for instance, offers a 50-minute treatment that includes a thorough skin analysis, deep cleansing, exfoliation, steam, extractions, a treatment mask and therapeutic massage of the décolleté (the chest area below the neckline), as well as shoulders, arms and hands.

For those on a time crunch or a tighter budget, the spa also offers a 30-minute Express Signature Facial, whereas the Elite Facial, a one-hour treatment, includes the luxuries of the Signature, but uses stronger Image Skincare products to address specific skincare concerns.

Thirty-minute teen facials, intended for clients ages 13-23, address the needs of young adults battling acne by offering deep cleansing. Lysenko boasts that her teen facial rates are “the best around.” All facials offer optional upgrades to suit the needs of the individual, including the Lightwave blue-and-red-light therapy, a pain-free alternative for treating acne. The blue light kills Propionibacterium acnes or “P. acnes,” a bacterium that colonizes in the skin and hair follicles, and is the primary cause of most acne problems. Those receiving Teen Facials can add this service as an upgrade upon request. The red and infrared lights also can be used to heal and polish the skin after plastic surgery or other skin treatments, in 20-30 minute sessions. Lysenko explains that it is the same technology NASA has used to heal astronauts in space where “the light penetrates deep below the skin level to heal from the inside out.”

During the holidays, the spa offers seasonal facials. In November, this author got to enjoy a unique Pumpkin Cheesecake Facial (which smelled as good as it felt), and for December, Bliss is featuring a “Peppermint Twist” facial, consisting of a cleanse, an orange-berry enzyme mask, a winter mint hydrating mask, an optional upgrade to a microdermabrasion, extraction and a Vitamin C green tea serum.

Another therapeutic skincare treatment offered at the spa is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Cavi-Lipo, an ultrasound machine that vibrates on the surface of the skin until the fat cells below the skin burst and liquefy, draining through the lymph system, leaving the remaining body tissue unharmed. The term “cavi” comes from cavitation, which is the collapse of a solid surface resulting in the formation of cavities that are commonly known as cellulite. Bliss aestheticians say that Cavi-Lipo treatments are recommended for small, problematic areas on the body, such as cellulite and sagging skin, and can oftentimes result in losing inches in the desired areas. In order for clients to experience maximum results, they must stay hydrated, continue a regular exercise routine before and after the treatment, and return for at least five more follow-up treatments.

Lysenko also reminds potential clients that facials are not only for women. She describes a male military client who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan. He came into the spa for the first time because he had been exposed to intense sunlight and heat in the desert during his deployment, without the assistance of sunscreen, and was concerned about his skin’s pigmentation.

Photographer Frank Edmondson also experienced his first ever microdermabrasion in November of this year. Bliss aesthetician Kristie — a Licensed Paramedical Aesthetician and Wax Specialist, who earned her credentials from the Florida College of Natural Health in Brandon — offered him a beneficial skincare assessment and educated him about proper skincare routines during his treatment. While hesitant to try a facial at first (Frank didn’t realize it would be beneficial to an African-American male), he now is considering taking a membership at the spa.

As a former University of Florida football player and now a lead vocalist in many of the Busch Gardens shows, Frank explains that playing sports and performing in outdoor venues has caused some variations in skin pigmentation over time.

“After just one treatment, my skin felt great!,” Edmondson said. “It’s so smooth. Kristie did a good job removing the ingrown hairs along my beard line with the extractor. It was relaxing and didn’t feel ‘girlie’ at all.”

 Rave Reviews!

Wesley Chapel resident Kristen Jacobs boasts of having “tried almost everything on the Bliss menu including: a hydrofacial, a massage, microdermabrasion, peels, facial imaging products, and make-up products.” Jacobs points to her favorite product on the shelf: Ormedic Balancing Lip Enhancement Complex, an all-organic product which she jokingly refers to as “lip crack” because it works to hydrate her lips so well she hates to ever be without it. Even when Jacobs moved to Washington for a period of time, she continued to order skin products from Bliss Facial Spa.

In addition to the skin care products, Jacobs says she remains a loyal Bliss client because of Natalie and the other aestheticians who work there. Jacobs says they have all been accommodating and they always take the time to answer questions and educate her about the products and treatments.

In fact, she enjoys the services that Bliss Facial Spa has to offer so much that she says she asks her husband and best friends for gift cards to the spa at Christmas time so she can use them year-round. She is also a member of Bliss Facial Spa’s Skin Care Club which allows her to save money with exclusive members-only pricing and Spa Reward Points.

“I work full time and have two little people at home,” Jacobs says of her two sons. “I meet my best friend here for ‘girl time’ because it’s the only peace we get.”

In order to give back to the community and create awareness of her spa, Lysenko contributes gift baskets to local schools and nonprofit organizations; one was donated to the New Tampa YMCA as a prize for one lucky participant of the 2013 Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot 5K and 1-mile fun run road race. The winner of the basket received a $100 gift card to Bliss Facial Spa, along with other skin care products.

Bliss Facial Spa is located at 1059 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and is open Mon. –Fri., 10 a.m.–7 p.m., and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturdays. After-hours appointments are available on Thursdays. For more information, call 428-5991 or visit the spa online at BlissFacialSpa.com.

By John Majeski,

Pet owners place an abundance of trust in their veterinarians when sickness or injury strikes their four-legged friends.

Continue reading