Passion is defined as a strong and barely controllable emotion. All of which shines through in every gift box and community event that Amanda Owens, the owner, operator, marketer, saleswoman, and everything in between of Daymaker Gifts in Northern Colorado, completes.
Owens has always had a love for giving meaningful and thoughtful gifts to those around her. “My mom planted the gift-giving seed in me when I was young,” she said. Owens described her mom bringing home trinkets or goodies that always made her feel seen and loved. She wanted to give others the ability to show that love and affection to someone in their life without the need for a holiday or a birthday, but just because.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Owens purchased from struggling small businesses and created gifts to send to her loved ones, which inspired the idea for her company. Daymaker Gifts launched as an online gift shop on April 17, 2021, and has now grown to include its first storefront, which opened in July 2024. She packs her gifts with primarily locally sourced items.
The personality and person-to-person interaction that accompany Daymaker Gifts, along with the people behind it, are what make it exceptional. One of their gift collections is “Warrior Bags,” designed for individuals undergoing extensive medical treatment. The gifts are curated specifically with them in mind. Every gift includes a personalized handwritten card, tailored to each recipient. “We also handwrite every card that goes out in our gifts…but when I get to write out the cards that go into our Warrior Bags, my head leaks every time.”
Along with the countless lives that have been touched by one of Daymaker Gifts’ boxes, Owens and her husband, Jared, strive to give back to their community. They have hosted multiple community events at the shop. One of Owen’s favorites is “My Sister’s Closet.” After raising two daughters, the Owens family inevitably had an entire closet of old formal dresses from homecomings, proms, and other special occasions.
Through this event, she asked other community members to donate their old dresses. The event is hosted biannually, in the fall before homecoming, and again in the spring before prom. The donated dresses are cleaned and sorted—all priced at $30 or less to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to enjoy high school dances in a beautiful dress.
Since 2024, Daymaker Gifts has hosted three of these events, received over 300 donated dresses, and helped more than 200 girls find their perfect dress. Given that the Owens family has two daughters, both highly involved in their local 4-H and FFA chapters, Daymaker Gifts recruits the help of local fair royalty and FFA members to ensure the event’s success.
Being the mom of two heavily involved FFA members and a proud member of a deep-rooted agricultural community, Owens has seen firsthand the effects that FFA can have on lives. “It teaches the value of a firm handshake, the ability to speak in public, and the importance of being able to interview well. It also teaches students how to work with others for a common goal, how to win gracefully and, more importantly, how to lose with dignity, both as a team and as individuals.”
Learn more about Daymaker Gifts and their story at www.daymakergifts.net.
