This is what the collection of craft shows at the Oregon convention is: Different groups, including some guilds, assemble crafts of all shapes and sizes. Here you’ll see pottery of all sorts, handcrafted jewelry, woven fabrics, glass-blown art, woodworks, and a whole slew of other things that are eluding me for the moment.

We weren’t alone in thinking that being a vendor here may be less than productive. Lots of people thought so as well; but everywhere you looked, transactions seemed to be going on. The craftspeople I happened to talk to all said that they expected this year’s showcase to be way down because of the economic recession. But on that fateful Saturday, they were doing business that was equal to last year. Needless to say, they were pretty happy.

I am not exactly an avid shopper, so wandering around the booths under normal circumstances should not be attractive at all to me. That’s why it’s interesting to note that I’ve been a regular of this event for about a decade now. Why? It seems that it has something to do with the growing appreciation for the crafts themselves; something about the chain of the basic material to the talented hands that shape them appeals to me.

There are plenty of rooms of beautiful crafts that are both simple and complicated. I find myself going towards particular items - bowls, glass platters, and some interesting earrings for Mother’s Day - all of them are weighted out in my mind. It astounds me as to how the craftspeople put in a balance between the material and creativity. Of course, I wonder how these objects will look at home, too.

Yet another reason why I like this event is the fact that I like the prices. Some of them would seem downright cheap to what you’d find in more permanent shops. As I’ve said before, I am not an avid shopaholic and would not be the best judge for such things. Even so, I like the idea of spending my money this way.