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Meet the woman styling Odessa College Praise & Fashion Show models for Black History Month

Mary's Fashions has been in Odessa for the past 20 years.

ODESSA, Texas — Meet Miss Mary-she's always had a knack for fashion.

"Everybody in the rooms, the dorms, the girls used to come to my room and they wanted me to dress them," Mary Ellis Henson said. 

This is when she knew she was destined for design. 

She took her passion and turned it into a business.

"I wouldn't be here if it was for the love of money. My business is for the love of people and so that's what keeps me going, it keeps me young, keeps me moving, keep me stepping, because I told them before, if you look good, you feel good," Mary said. 

You could say business is in her blood. Mary's mother was an entrepreneur who owned a beauty shop.

She opened up shop in her home and business took off.

"So I got me a little store here in Odessa on the south side on Dixie and women started coming in and they said why don't you add women's suits and clothing. So it went from a hat shop to a clothing store," Mary said.  

Her clothing store has outgrown its space five times.

Today, her store offers styles for the whole family in its largest space yet.

She has also been recruited for the Odessa College fashion show.

"Everybody in town started asking me 'Miss Mary will you come do a show for us?'" Mary said.

The show features Miss Mary's designs and will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Joe Zant Community Room on February 27. NewsWest 9's Cory Mose will even be participating.

"You can add crystals or you can add, you can embellish them with headbands and feathers and all that and make them just beautiful," Mary said. 

Each style as unique as miss Mary, a woman who has built her business on: if you look good...you feel good.

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