Festival of Crafts offers unique gifts

(NECN: Colleen Bamford, Worcester, Mass.) - You won't find any plasma TVs or the latest DVDs and CDs here. Fifty-four vendors - all from the northeast - have worked on the pieces on display at the Worcester Center for Crafts annual Festival of Crafts. Alex Miller, from Northboro, got his fill of the mall early this morning and then turned his attention, or rather his wallet, to the craft fair. “I think it's important to support the artists and community and you can find something special that you won't get at a department store,” Miller said. Those selling their work are hoping there are more shoppers like Miller. The economy has taken a toll on the art and craft industry over the past year as spending has been aimed at need rather than want. The Worcester Center for Crafts essentially shut down in January because of financial problems. It remained closed until July when the center entered into a partnership with Worcester State College. This weekend's festival of crafts is the first public event since its reopening. With shoppers lined up at the door before it even opened this morning there's clear evidence it was missed. The Festival of Crafts runs through Sunday.