After the Christmas holiday, people usually take their Christmas trees down. Vendors Mercantile owner Benetta Arenivas, however, still has hers up at two of her stores to be exact, for a very special reason. According to an Aug. 3 City of Odessa Facebook post, Arenivas and her son, Ian, are survivors of their respective cancer experiences.
"We have a Christmas tree in both of our locations that stay up year-round," Arenivas said in the post. "We want every day to feel like Christmas."
Per the city, the proprietress had a breast cancer scare half a decade ago. She said the moment gave her a whole new outlook on life.
"At that moment, my outlook on life changed," Arenivas said.
Two years ago, the post said, Ian sought medical attention for what he claimed was pain in his leg. Doctors discovered via X-rays that half of his shinbone was gone, which led to a diagnosis of a rare form of Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Ian was then hospitalized in Dallas and underwent several procedures.
“Today, he is living life to the fullest and is cancer free,” the city said in the post.
According to the post, Arenivas opened the Midland branch of Vendors Mercantile just before Ian’s diagnosis. The newer location in Odessa followed shortly afterward, serving customers for a little over a year.
“They wanted a place to give small businesses running out of a house a storefront where people could find them more regularly,” the post said. “The goal was to create an upscale vendor store like in Dallas.”
On the business’s own Facebook page, it touts, “Vendors Mercantile allows opportunity for small businesses to grow!”
Arenivas said people could find whatever they needed at her stores with the exception of groceries. Business owners looking to work with Vendors Mercantile can call (432) 262-0393.