Hispanic Chamber on a comeback.

• Author: Caley, Nora
• Position: Attitude at Altitude - Composition an intriguing composition of goods. - Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

LODO SHOP AN INTRIGUING COMPOSITION OF GOODS

"To me, it makes sense that I sell shoes and carpet tiles," said Jennifer Roberts, proprietor of Composition, a retail shop at 1499 Blake St. in downtown Denver. "It doesn't matter what the product is--it's about the design of the product."

Beyond the footwear and carpet tiles, Composition's shelves are stocked with a charming assortment of wallets, pop-up books, dishware, pet collars, office supplies--anything and everything as long as it has an innovative design. "It's been a little bit hard to explain to people, because they want to categorize you as a stationery store or a gift store," said Roberts. "I was trying to create something different."

After a decade in civil engineering, Roberts started easing herself into a retail career in March 2003. Actually, there was nothing easy about it: For 15 months, she worked as an engineer from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., then put on her shopkeeper cap at her LoDo shop for six hours every afternoon. "Everything's a labor of love and labor-intensive," said Roberts. "I do everything the hard way."

It's beginning to pay dividends. Because LoDo is not yet a shopping destination on par with Cherry Creek North, Roberts unveiled a website, www.ShopComposition.com, in December 2005. Since its launch, the site has seen 500,000 hits and garnered a nomination for best Macromedia Flash site at the 2005 Flashforward Conference--competing against the likes of Nike, Adidas and Muzak. "They have teams of people working for them," laughed Roberts, "vs. one person."

That "one person" is Roberts' boyfriend Ian Coyle, the Flash grandmaster behind the website, which he redesigned in late 2005. With aesthetics befitting a store focused on great design, it's easy to see why Coyle won accolades for the original site, as well as why he'll win many more for the new-and-improved version.

NEW PRESIDENT CAMPOS INITIATES LOAN PROGRAM, SEEKS INCREASE IN SPANISH SPEAKERS

Once one of the state's most powerful ethnic-affiliation groups, the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of late has become more like a former sports hero who still brags about old victories. A Google search for "Denver Hispanic Chamber" still brings up articles about awards the chamber won ... in 2000.

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But that's all changing, says Jeffrey Campos, chamber president and CEO. "This organization was somewhat stagnant in its progress," he said. "It needed new energy, new rejuvenation to bring it to another...