Thieves stole more than $40,000 worth of jewelry and other items from an Aurora jewelry-maker who was selling the goods on Etsy.
Now, she is offering a $1,000 reward for their return.
Over the last five years, Tami Miller has built a top-selling Etsy shop called Spoonier.
"What we do is find a really cool spoon, and make it into a ring," said Miller, demonstrating how she makes her rings from vintage spoon handles.
She has been successful enough with her handmade jewelry to recently start working in an Aurora office building instead of her home.
"This is our main source of income. Spoonier has been paying our bills," said Miller. "We were almost to selling 10,000 items."
The office building at 2851 S. Parker Road seemed secure, she said, but when she went to work to fill Christmas orders Saturday, she discovered burglars had broken in and stolen everything.
"All of our inventory was here. Our entire shop was gone. Years of work. Gone." she said, starting to cry.
Her biggest fear is that the thieves will melt her art for $1,000-$1,500 for the silver, so she is now offering a $1,000 reward for their return -- no questions asked. She can be contact at Tami@Spoonier.com.
Until then, though, instead of spending Christmastime with her two children, she will be working nonstop, trying to make ends meet.
"We don't know if we'll be able to pay rent," said Miller. "We just need our stuff back. We need our life back."
Aurora police said they are investigating.
