Step into Innana Creations in downtown Superior, and you’ll find something unique on the Front Range: beautiful, handwoven rugs in a range of complex geometric patterns, earth and jewel tones, and various shapes and sizes. They’re hung on the walls gallery-style, and arranged on the floor in cozy vignettes. The collection is highly curated but represents the story of shop owner Enas Alsharea’s journey from the East to the West, bridging the gap between her homeland of Iraq and the Centennial State.
Alsharea left her home in Baghdad in 2014 with her family as war threatened their safety. Trained as a dentist, she became a refugee in Colorado and now serves as the dental director at Tepeyac Community Health Center, focused on making quality care accessible to underserved populations. Her earlier work with Relief International in the Kurdistan region of Iraq focused on helping internally displaced families build small businesses during times of crisis and instilled a passion for economic empowerment in Alsharea.
But even as she built a new life in the Denver metro area and, later, in Superior, Alsharea says something was missing. So, in 2023, as she approached the age of 40, she traveled to Istanbul and Baghdad to reconnect with her roots.
“The moment I landed in Istanbul, I realized I was living with things that I didn’t know that I was missing,” she says. “The music, the spices, the lively streets, the kindness of people, the architecture, the art—the mix between the East and West in that area just inspired me so much.”
Alsharea wanted to bring that vibrancy home with her and share it with her community. And the medium she chose was rugs. “I found that the rug has a lot of symbolism,” she says.” “The crossing of the wefts and warps depicts, to me, the symbolism of crossing cultures, times, realms, traditions, old and new, East and West.”
She says the rugs also spoke to her as an immigrant trying to “weave” herself into a new society. So she got to work. Alsharea began meeting vendors and returned to the Middle East a year later to source rugs directly from artisans and vendors in Morocco, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. By summer 2025, after a year and a half of preparation, Innana Creations opened its doors in downtown Superior.
Sourcing With Intention
Innana Creations—named after the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, fertility and rebirth—carries a small collection of rugs by industry standards, but each one is handpicked and deliberately curated by Alsharea, who works with vendors across the Middle East and prioritizes direct relationships with women weavers whenever possible.
Weaving, she explains, has historically been women’s work in many rural villages, yet the commercial side of the rug industry is often male dominated. Her goal is to bridge that gap by creating a supply chain that supports women economically and honors their craftsmanship. “I wanted to have direct contact with women, empower them and make Innana a business by women and from women and have the rugs be sold by women,” she says. “I have a lot of passion about making that possible.”
She also offers custom commissions. When a client places an order, it can be sent directly to women artisans to begin weaving, mobilizing income in villages where traditional textile arts are fading. “This art is dying,” she says. “I’m trying to revive it and elevate the lives of the women who are keeping those traditions.”
Stories in Wool and Silk
The rugs at Innana Creations are made from natural wool and silk—biodegradable fibers dyed, in many cases, with vegetable-based pigments. Sustainability is central to Alsharea’s philosophy. In an era of synthetic, disposable décor, she sees handwoven rugs as heirlooms; pieces meant to last generations.
Unlike most consumer goods, rugs can actually appreciate in value over time. An old rug, Alsharea says, may fade and soften with time, and sunlight and foot traffic leave subtle wear patterns that add character. “The fading carries the stories of everyone who owned it,” she says.
Designs vary widely by region. Rugs from Morocco’s Atlas Mountains often feature bold, vibrant palettes reflecting lush vegetation. Pieces woven in the Sahara Desert tend toward muted tones. Designs may also reflect the surroundings or architecture common in the region, such as flowers, animals or symbols drawn from daily life.
Sizes at Innana range from small, doormat-style pieces to wall hangings to larger rugs that can fill a room. Pricing reflects a rug’s age, weaving techniques, material, region, craftsmanship, color complexity and size. Smaller pieces can run in the low thousands; larger, older or custom works may command significantly more.
A Community Space in Superior
A resident of Superior for nearly four years, Alsharea sees the city as an evolving, central location between Denver and Boulder. The local reception to Innana, she says, has been overwhelmingly supportive. The chamber of commerce helped celebrate her grand opening, and customers now drive from across the Front Range—and occasionally from out of state—to visit.
Alsharea acknowledges that there is not a large Middle Eastern community in the immediate area, but she embraces the role of cultural ambassador. “When I say I’m from Iraq, I find politics can get in the way,” she says. “The country is very divisive, given the political situation that we live in.”
So, her response is art. Rugs become neutral ground that transcends political tensions. “I see the contrast and differences in colors as the diversity that every human brings to this land and to this country, and how bringing those colors together creates a beautiful piece of art,” she says. “I just imagine how we can all come together to create a beautiful society, aside from our differences.”
Choosing a Rug
For those considering investing in a rug, Alsharea offers simple advice: Do your research, think long-term, prioritize natural materials and choose something you love—not because it follows a trend, but because it resonates with you. “Pick something that reminds you of a memory,” she says. “Fall in love with what you can own.”
Above all, she encourages shoppers to support small businesses and artisan economies. In her view, every rug is part of a larger tapestry, one that can bridge cultures, ideas and differences. “I started this—specifically working with weavings—to find ways to connect us,” Alsharea says. “But beauty is universal, and crossing cultures is possible.” 2145 Main St Unit 8, Superior; innanacreations.com
