Local shoppers looking for handmade gifts and holiday stocking stuffers found plenty Saturday at the sixth annual Craft-O! Holiday Bazaar at Bend’s Old Ironworks Arts District.

The holiday craft fair, which continues today, offers a mix of artwork, jewelry and crafted items from about 80 local vendors.

“Every year it has just grown and grown,” said Cari Brown, one of the event’s organizers. “We get people every year who come back. They wait for Craft-O! — this is their holiday shopping experience.”

Brown, who is the proprietor of The Workhouse at the art district, said vendors expected big crowds this weekend, and the crowds delivered. Hundreds of shoppers were encouraged to park at the Central Oregon Locavore Gift Faire and ride a free shuttle that would take them to Craft-O! and the Willow Lane Winter Market.

“We expected it to be a little crazy,” Brown said.

Bend resident Sara Thompson left her car at home and walked a mile and a half to the holiday fair. She looks forward to the event each year to help support local artists and find gifts for her friends.

“It was part of the theme of the day to me,” she said. “Shopping local is part of sustainable practices.”

In her shopping bag, Thompson had a variety of items. Her favorite find of the day was a piece of cloth the size of a manila envelope with a silkscreened anti-harassment message that preaches inclusion. Thompson, a librarian at Oregon State University-Cascades in Bend, said she will hang the cloth in her office.

The other items in her bag were mostly Christmas gifts.

“This is when I actually get a lot of presents for my local friends,” she said. “There are so many great, Oregon-specific things.”

A handful of vendors this year are new to the fair.

Jeff Cole, owner of Link Leather Goods, sells his custom leather work from his studio in the Workhouse at the art district. Cole, who opened his studio eight months ago, said Saturday was definitely busier than usual. He always enjoys the foot traffic and meeting customers in person.

“The thing about working here is you get to converse with the customers,” Cole said. “That’s the best thing for me. That’s where I get most of my business.”

After spending Saturday afternoon browsing the art district, Bend artist Doug Robertson left with a bag full of Christmas stocking stuffers. Robertson, who is friends with some of the vendors, said purchasing a few items connects him with other artists.

“I’m just supporting local artists with holiday gifts,” Robertson said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820,

kspurr@bendbulletin.com