Lo-Ree dress shop closes after decades of service

Shown is the eye-catching pink shop with closed windows marking the end of an era.

By Tamara Longoria

With decades of service under their belt, and after countless customers walking through their doors, a well-known local establishment, Lo-Ree Dress Shop, is closing its doors.

Paula Reyes started working at Lo-Ree Dress Shop in 1966. At that time the shop was owned by sisters Loretta Longman and Marie Phillips, until 1971, when they sold it to Estelle Coward. It was then sold to Marie Anderson in the early 1980s.

Reyes stayed as a saleswoman, and through first-hand experience, learned what it meant to own and run a business. She said she would go to Dallas with the original owners, Loretta and Marie, to attend fashion shows or purchase merchandise. With that knowledge acquired, she then bought Lo-Ree from Marie Anderson in 1990. After working there for almost 30 years, the business was finally hers. Reyes has owned the business since then, and has recently decided to sell it.

Reyes said that it was a personal decision and not one made out of financial necessity. “Times change, and you have to move on,” she said.

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