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Things in Cherry Creek North are changing. Rents are rising, and some fear that the influx of chains and high density development will threaten the survival of independent business owners.

But what's almost more interesting is what is not changing: The majority of businesses are still independently owned and determined to hold onto their neighborhood both in aesthetics and in ideology. They still want to be the place to stroll, shop and stop for a cappuccino.

Collectively, the independent business owners of Cherry Creek North have the district's best interests in mind. It's one of the reasons why this area of boutiques, restaurants, galleries and salons functions as a community.

Here, four small business owners share their thoughts:

ROSELLA LOUIS OF THE BRASS BED
After 30 years as a merchant in Cherry Creek North, The Brass Bed owner Rosella Louis remembers when much of the area was covered with small turn-of-the-century homes. She's survived through the renovation of 1989, which unified the area, and through the building of the mall and is still thriving today amid high real estate prices and highend development.

Louis isn't worried because business is great and because she has learned that change can be positive.
She remembers a state of panic when the mall was under construction. “We were all so fearful that the big mall was going to come in and kill us, but the opposite thing happened. It became another reason to come to this area, so more people came and shoppe both indoors and outdoors,” she explains.

To grow her business, Louis has done a lot of observing and listening. “I've adapted over the years and listened to what people wanted,” she says. “I've also searched to find the very best things in those categories.” Although she began selling brass beds, it was the textiles and fine linens portion of the business that really took off. So she established her store as the destination for finding the very finest bed and bath item from around the world. Shoppers find things made with exquisite fabrics, colors, textures and materials that cannot be found elsewhere, including bathrobes, blankets, pillows, sheets, comforters, towels, soaps and more.

A business major in college, Louis believes in advertising, even when business is down, as well as superior customer service. “We have a great connection with the customers,” she says. Professional designers are ready to assist those who walk through the door, and she even urges shoppers to “check out” fabric samples so they can visualize how something might look in their homes.

Louis considers everyone she does business with to be her friend and treats her employees like family. “I feel fortunate to have many people from the Denver community shopping with us,” she says.

Today, people think of their bedrooms as a place to relax, and they spend more money beautifying their bedrooms than in the past, Louis says.

ELLEN SEALE DURST OF ARTISAN CENTER
Decades ago, there was a drugstore in the building where Artisan Center now has been in business for 30 years. Even though times have changed, owner Ellen Seale Durst still wants her shop to reflect the friendly values of the drugstore days. “I want it to be a joyful gathering place for our community and for the staff,” she says.

From an astonishing array of jewelry, kitchen wares, candles, glassware, chimes, lotion, cards, stationery and baby gifts, many customers not only find the perfect gift but also a little something for themselves.

Shoppers love the mixture of American contemporary crafts. Five Artisan Center buyers travel throughout the United States in search of items, many of which are created by independent artists. “We have a wonderful group of very talented creative people throughout the country that we buy from. Some we have bought from for 30 years,” Durst says.

The original drugstore hardwood floors, smiling staff members and a Dutch door that Durst found in a junkyard all create a charming, eclectic atmosphere. Customers, even some that have shopped at Artisan Center as children with their parents, especially love the legendary gift wrapping.

Durst purchased her building two years ago, in part to preserve small business in the area. Her store has weathered many cycles of change, and she has mixed feelings about today's marketplace. “I miss the Cook's Mart, Tattered Cover and Mel's Restaurant,” she says. “But there's a healthy turnover that is exciting because we need to keep changing, too. It's still the most incredibly wonderful area, I think, that Denver has. All of us are an institution here. We have incredible community leaders in Cherry Creek North that are constantly out there making sure this area is fabulous.”

Besides community leadership, Durst feels that area businesses are unified. “I really think we have the best retail vision and establishment with the same goals of community service and extraordinary customer service,” she says. “It's like a big family down here. I love that about this area.”

Best of all, business at the Artisan Center continues to improve. “We just do better and better, and our business has gotten stronger,” she says. “I think our plans for the future are to keep buying wonderful things, to do more of the same, only better.”

SANDY SARDELLA OF PISMO FINE ART GLASS
When she started her business in 1990, Sandy Sardella knew she wanted to be in Cherry Creek North. She took a one-year lease on the space to see if it would work, and 18 years later she is the owner of four locations of Pismo Fine Art Glass: Cherry Creek, Aspen, Vail and Beaver Creek. All things glass — from sculpture to chandeliers to jewelry to furniture— are available at Pismo.

Sardella says her business is unusual because it is both a gallery and a shop. The main level is a gallery of staggeringly beautiful, colorful glass art. The second floor is a glass store where customers often shop for gifts. “What I sell ranges in price from $6 to $300,000,” she says. “I have people come in to buy a $30 piece of jewelry or a paperweight, and I have collectors come in to select a museum quality piece of glass.”

Good timing and hard work are the secrets to her success. “When I got into the field of glass, it was just becoming popular,” she explains. Hiroshi Yamano, Lino Tagliapietra, Dale Chihuly, Kait Rhoads and Ulla Darni are among the artists regularly featured at Pismo, and all are among the very best glass artists in the world.

Sardella is grateful for a dependable staff and a loyal client base. She and her employees work hard to create a friendly ambiance and to offer a wide selection of items, and she believes customers have responded positively.

“We don't have a hard-sell approach. We want people to feel comfortable, we want to educate them about the glass, and we want them to choose something they really love,” she says.

Sardella admits the changing business environment is challenging. “It's kind of disappointing that the flavor of the district is changing because I think that's what made Cherry Creek so special,” she says. But she also sees many good things happening, including more people living and shopping in the area and hotels bringing in tourists, which has been very positive for her business. “I'd like people to know I still strongly support the district,” she says. “There are still enough independent galleries and boutiques that it's very different from going to a mall.”

Her plans for the future include further developing her Web site and continuing to grow the four galleries: “My husband would love for me to think about retiring, but I'm still having fun.”

CINDY JOHNSON AND JEANIE PETERSON,
SISTERS AND CO-OWNERS OF SOL, STORE OF LINGERIE
Ten years ago Cindy Johnson knew Cherry Creek North was the perfect spot for her lingerie boutique. A lifelong lingerie lover, Johnson had been dreaming of opening a lingerie store since she was a teenager. She opened SOL, Store of Lingerie while still in her 20s, and her younger sister, Jeanie Peterson, became her partner about a year after opening.

The boutique sells beautiful bras, panties, nightgowns, pajamas, robes and more. The customer service at
SOL, where they specialize in bra fitting, is exceptional because staff members train for at least four weeks
learning to fit bras professionally. The bra-fitting event in itself can be an enlightening experience, especially when a customer discovers that it's possible to find a bra that fits properly and is sexy yet tasteful.

Fifteen years ago, Americans thought of lingerie in two ways: wholly practical or overtly sexy. But with the success of Victoria's Secret and the interest generated by Oprah Winfrey's bra-fitting episodes, American women are learning what European women have known for decades — that elegant, beautiful, well-made items for everyday wear will improve one's appearance and self-esteem. Johnson and Peterson were on the cusp of these trends when SOL opened a decade ago, and they love to educate women on these ideas.

Johnson says SOL has grown in tandem with Cherry Creek North. “Obviously, the look and feel of the area has changed with the increased building and construction, but I think integrating residential and hotels among the restaurants and boutiques gives the entire area a more hip, urban feel,” says Johnson. “I think SOL's success is a testament to the positive nature of change. The fact that we are celebrating our 10-year
anniversary and are still enjoying continued growth shows that the changes in Cherry Creek North have been good for SOL.”

A fountain filled with fish and a toy box for kids help to make a visit to SOL fun for everyone. With a loyal following and a great reputation, Johnson and Peterson are excited about the future. “Honing our systems and our inventory is always our goal,” says Peterson. “We believe those two things will ensure the success of whatever future expansion we choose to pursue.”