With generations of Tampa business owners coming before them, Jessica Reisner and her mother, Phala Pesano, are proud to continue the family tradition with Seventh Avenue Apothecary.

Their primary facility for manufacturing artisan candles and other home fragrance products is located in a building that once served as a family dry cleaners, and family is still at the center of everything they do, from working for each other every day to setting positive examples for the family’s youngest generation—Reisner’s daughter.

“When your kids learn your values and have the same goals as you do, that makes all the difference,” Pesano said. “The goal for both of us is to make this successful.”

But Reisner and Pesano don’t just work to benefit their own family. They are also serving the community by mentoring other young women to help them learn the skills necessary to succeed in the business world.

“Being a female-owned business is an aspect that is extremely important to us because not only do I have a daughter and I want her to be a strong female and know she is capable of achieving so much, but we also strive to mentor other young women.”

Seventh Avenue Apothecary is a partner of Girls Empowered Mentally for Success, Inc. (GEMS), and Reisner and Pesano mentor at-risk girls in Hillsborough County through that program. Girls from GEMS get to come to the business to work, even creating their own candle line—Transitions Candles. The skills they gain working with Reisner and Pesano will help them to succeed in their future endeavors.

“I think it’s essential for a local business to reinvest in the community,” Reisner said. “If we want our community to be smarter and happier and live with a better quality of life, we have to provide them with that as well. It’s not about giving handouts but being there to work alongside people in the community.”

Grow Financial is proud to serve members of the community like Seventh Avenue Apothecary. Excited to find your new favorite scent? Shop their products and find retail locations at seventhavenuecandles.com.

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