Local boutique using grief as energy to give back to the community

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) -After the loss of her youngest daughter, Denise Villa, wanted to close down her boutique shop for good.

Instead she decided to stay open to keep her daughters spirit alive and in her store.

It’s been a tough year for the Villa family. They had to see their daughter, who wasn’t even two years old at the time, go through chemo therapy.

Jeniyse Cazares-Villa died after battling Rhabdoid cancer for six months.

Now, her mother and family plan to help those that are in similar situations that they were in a little over a year ago.

Denise Villa opened shop back in 2011.

Back then it was a jewelry store but after having her second kid prematurely, she decided to sell baby clothes for babies that were born prematurely.

Denise closed shop in 2015 and returned to it in 2019 to sell clothes for little kids and infants.

After Jeniyse died in 2022, Denise wanted to quit and leave the clothes business.

Instead, she’s using her business to make sure her daughters legacy lives on.

“But now I use it to cope with everything that we went through. She was here as a newborn. And it was just hard for me to step away and now I use it to cope and now I use it as a hobby to keep my mind busy” said Denise Villa, owner of Simplee Posh.

Jeniyse was described by her family as the life of the party. When she wasn’t in therapy, she was dancing or watching her favorite movie Coco.

“She’s going through chemo, and she’s dancing away. She just had this happy life that she didn’t know much better. She didn’t know what was going on.” said Polo Villa, Jeniyse’s Father.

Their doll goes everywhere with the Villa family. On vacations, to the store, to sleep, everywhere.

It was given to them at the University Medical Center in Lubbock, where Jeniyse was getting treatment.

Denise says the hospital did everything they could’ve to save her daughters life.

She said she wants to give back to the community by starting a foundation in her daughters name and honor.

“Whether it’s raffling, whether it’s using it as a donation spot to drop off things that we give back everything to the hospital and to Ronald Mcdonald.” said Denise.

Denise says they are always looking for ways to help the community and if you want to get in contact with Simplee Posh, click here.

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