Business Briefs — Rise Dispensary, FiCare & Laceleaf Med Spa Cut Chamber Ribbons! 

Despite the fact that it’s been a long, hot summer, the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC) stayed busy with several ribbon-cutting events in Wesley Chapel. 

The first (which we didn’t have room to write about in our July 23 issue) was held in June at Rise Dispensary (top photo), the second medical marijuana dispensary to open in Wesley Chapel. 

Located at 28053 Wesley Chapel Blvd. (in the former Russell’s Western Wear building), Rise (which has nearly 100 dispensaries in 14 U.S. states, including 18 in Florida) sells “flower,” edibles, vape cartridges and live resin in Indica, Sativa and Hybrid strains (and some CBD, too) for those ages 21 and older with valid medical cannabis cards and offers both in-store pickup and delivery. 

For more information about Rise Dispensary, visit RiseCannabis.com or call (813) 612-6120. 

Next up was the July 10 NTBC ribbon-cutting event at the new Wesley Chapel branch of FiCare Federal Credit Union, located at 26444 Silver Maple Pkwy. 

As explained by president and CEO Denelle Miller (with microphone in the left photo), FiCare started as the credit union for employees of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa 60 years ago. But today, FiCare also has branches serving health care professionals in Lutz, Clearwater and Gainesville, with standalone ATMs in hospitals in Dunedin, Clearwater, Bartow, Riverview, St. Petersburg and Safety Harbor. The credit union’s “Contact Center” for all of its branches is now at the Wesley Chapel location. 

“FiCare exists to serve our members,” Denelle said. “We are the credit union tailor-made for healthcare professionals nationwide. We serve you with complete financial services, competitive rates, and personal care extending beyond your financial health.” 

For more information about FiCare FCU, visit FiCareFCU.org or call (813) 600-5920. 

And, last but not least, was the NTBC ribbon-cutting at the beautiful new Laceleaf Med Spa on July 11. Owner Lisa Rezvan (photo right) and her staff (below) showed attendees how they can “Enhance (their) natural beauty” with aesthetic services like microdermabrasion and others that get rid of age spots and spider veins; a variety of injectables (BotoxÂź, DysportÂź, JuvĂ©dermÂź and RestylaneÂź); laser pigment removal, skin resurfacing and skin tightening; regenerative medicine such as peptide therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and vitamin B12 injections; and skin treatments such as chemical peels, hydrafacials, RF microneedling and treatments for acne scars and sun damage. 

For more information about Laceleaf Med Spa, which is located behind (but in the same building as) the new Moe’s Southwest Grill (at 5490 Post Oak Blvd.), call (813) 705- 7277 or visit LaceleafMedSpa.com. 

Welcome To Moe’s…Again…Wesley Chapel!

“Welcome to Moe’s!” was the familiar and unmistakable sound that filled the bright and airy new restaurant located at 5486 Post Oak Blvd. — the first business to open in the new retail strip center between The WingHouse and The Learning Experience, near the entrance to the Lexington Oaks community off Wesley Chapel Blvd. The second Moe’s Southwest Grill to open in Wesley Chapel (the other is in The Shops at Wiregrass) was a happening place during its Grand Opening on Apr. 19. 

The lure was too good for some to pass up. To celebrate, the new Moe’s gave tickets for “Burritos On Us for a Year” to the first 50 people in line for the planned 10:30 a.m. opening. The tickets are good for one burrito (or bowl) per week for a year. 

But, since there were already 75-100 people on line outside the new Moe’s long before 10:30, one of the restaurant’s partners, Jason Catalanotto, began handing out the 50 tickets at 9 a.m. “Many of them camped out overnight,” Catalanotto said. 

JosĂ© Garcia (photo, above), who received ticket #50, works in local construction and had just recently moved to Wesley Chapel. Garcia said his girlfriend is the one who told him about the burrito giveaway. When asked what time he had to get there (to be the last ticket recipient), he explained, “I got here a few minutes before 8 a.m.” 

Those who arrived after 8 didn’t go away empty-handed. Next to the ordering counter, the new Moe’s had a colorful prize wheel set up where you could spin to win “merch” like squishy avocado shaped stress relievers, free kids meals, can koozies, or most creatively…T-shirts rolled up in foil like burritos! 

Catalanotto said that he and his partners Chirag (photo, right) and Aman Patel began working on the vision for this Moe’s location nearly two years ago and Moe’s is now the first business to open in this new plaza. The four adjacent suites are not yet occupied, but the suite directly behind Moe’s in the plaza is busy with interior construction. Aman Patel told the Neighborhood News that Little Caesar’s Pizza will occupy the space next to Moe’s and the space on the other side of Little Caesar’s will be “either a Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shop or Jersey Mike’s Subs,” with a dentist’s office planning to open in the plaza’s other end cap. 

Laceleaf Med Spa 

The day Moe’s opened, owner Lisa Rezvan (photo, left) of Laceleaf Med Spa, which will be located directly behind Moe’s in the plaza, was busy going over construction plans and coordinating her build-out. 

Rezvan, who lives in New Port Richey, wanted to have a location in Wesley Chapel but still wanted to live close to the water. 

“I really like Wesley Chapel, you can feel the positive energy in the people here,” she said. She also said she plans to open Laceleaf in June, and that her focus is on luxury, level of care and most important to her, “long-term results,” not just something that is a temporary solution. She said the thing that sets her apart mostly will be the Radio Frequency (RF) Microneedling and other unique services she says you won’t find anywhere else in Wesley Chapel.