Persistence pays off for owners of new Flower City Dispensary

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One word that may best describe Britni Tantalo is persistent.

Tantalo and her husband were ready when the state began accepting license applications for cannabis retail operations in the late summer of 2022.

Over 2 ½ years later — following the rollout of a new industry that can be described as anything but smooth — the couple finally made their vision a reality with the opening of Flower City Dispensary.

The family- and woman-minority owned retail cannabis business — located in Victor Hills Commons at 8053 Pittsford-Victor Road in Victor — held a soft opening on Nov. 21st and will celebrate a grand opening on Friday, Dec. 13th.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 4:20 p.m. The store’s entrance is at the back of the plaza.

“We are so grateful and it’s go-time now,” said Tantalo, co-founder and president of Flower City Dispensary and a 2023 RBJ Women of Excellence honoree.

The dispensary offers a line of high-quality, New York grown cannabis products, handpicked to ensure the finest cannabis strains, edibles and accessories.

There are now about 260 adult-use cannabis dispensaries across New York and nearly a dozen throughout Monroe and Ontario counties, according to the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) website.

The industry is generating big money, with OCM expecting sales to exceed $800 million in 2024.

“Cannabis is thriving,” said Jayson Tantalo, Flower City Dispensary’s co-founder and chief operating office. “We are excited for people to see our take on it.”

Recreational cannabis use was made legal in New York in 2021, but the infrastructure for legal purchase took a long time to put in place.

Those in the industry say the state roll-out of retail cannabis operations has been rocky, with several roadblocks — including multiple lawsuits — slowing down the process.

The challenges resulted in criticism of the OCM, which was charged with overseeing the adult-use, medical and cannabinoid hemp industries in New York and establishing the regulations governing how and when a person or business may apply for and receive a license.

Throughout the longer-than-anticipated process, however, Britni Tantalo never gave up hope, noting the process is now running more smoothly.

Not only did Tantalo remain positive during the challenging times over the past two years, but she also took action.

She and Jayson Tantalo are co-founders of the New York Cannabis Retail Association, which was created to ensure a sustainable, equitable and inclusive cannabis industry in New York. Britni Tantalo is the organization’s president.

Tantalo is no stranger to business or the cannabis industry.

She has a background in corporate finance and accounting, with an undergraduate degree in finance from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from St. John Fisher.

She previously worked as a public tax accountant for Ernst & Young LLP.

But the extensive travel throughout the year and the extra-long hours in the office during tax season coupled with a desire to spend more time with her growing family left Tantalo wondering if there was something else she was better suited for professionally.

As a result, she and Jayson began working in the cannabis space in 2014 with the launch of Metavega Corp., an indoor growing equipment wholesaler.

Tantalo said she and her husband have complementary styles and broad business experience between them. Jayson Tantalo has some two decades of experience in the horticulture and hydroponics industries, with extensive experience in web design.

The two traveled up and down the East Coast promoting the business and selling the product, making solid business relationships along the way. More than a decade later, they are still working with those customers, she noted.

The couple opened Flower City Hydroponics in Fairport in 2021 to expand their offerings as a hydroponics equipment supplier.

Flower City Dispensary was a logical next step for the couple. The business now has roughly a dozen employees and is hiring.

Education is a key component of the business, Tantalo said, noting one of her goals is to remove the social stigma attached to cannabis.

Tantalo, who is half Korean and has a young daughter, wants to be a role model for other women, girls and minorities who may have doubts about succeeding in business.

The other priorities for the new venture include operating a profitable business, being a job creator, giving back to the community where they live and protecting the state’s investment in the business.

“We’re the first generation of this industry,” she said. “We’ve been heard and we’re here.”

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