As a boy, Tom Schwab always made his Christmas presents. His father, who was a contractor and also a boat builder, gave him a workbench, saw and hammer at the age of 8 and the inspiration to transform wood into useful and aesthetic objects.

Now long retired as a mechanical engineer for the Naval Underwater Systems, Schwab is still making Christmas gifts, although, in most cases, for people he doesn’t know or will ever meet.

Schwab was one of 78 vendors at the Ocean State Artisans 19th annual crafts show that opened Friday and ran for the weekend at the Knight Campus of CCRI. Bottle stoppers and pencil holders made from as many as six different kinds of native woods were his big sellers.

And contrary to what some retailers are reporting this season, Schwab says people are “not shy about spending.”

Price and uniqueness of items have something to do with the demand for locally crafted items says Earl Smith, who surely makes one of the more unusual items traditionally sold at the show. Earl and his wife Elizabeth make whirligigs, wind powered lawn and deck ornaments from a fisherman rowing a dory, which is his most popular item, to a spinning carousel.

But Smith, who chaired this year’s show, senses there’s more to why shoppers are willing to shell out $40 to $75 for a whirligig in times when they are pinching pennies.

“It’s not made in China,” he says.

Indeed, if anything at the show was made in China it might come down to the screws and nails or thread used in some items. In fact, as Smith pointed out, the show is juried. A committee from the Ocean State Artisans selects those crafters wanting to be in the show. This year there were 30 applicants for nine openings. Decisions come down to the quality of the items produced.

Vendors who buy/sell, in other words vendors who buy at wholesale and resell at retail, are not permitted.

Smith said he picked up the skill of making whirligigs after a heart attack in 1993. Why ever whirligigs?

As he explains it he had an uncle who lived in a remote section of New Brunswick near the United States border. Winters were long and there wasn’t much to do, so the uncle collected and made whirligigs. He passed along the patterns to Smith. Earl cuts the wood and assembles the whirligigs. Elizabeth does the painting.

Christine Jenkins of Portsmouth likewise found this year’s sales keeping pace with those for last year. Jenkins, who makes beads and jewelry, was doing a brisk business. She had been in graphic design until setting off with her husband to create their own business, Frajeelai.

“It’s just as good [as last year],” she reported. What the business has enabled her to do is to satisfy her creative urges while being home to raise her three children.

Vicky Gray, who staffed the admission booth Saturday, said the turnout was great.

“The rain drove everyone in,” she said of Friday. Gray and her partner run Shard Works Recycles. They make pocketbooks from used men’s ties and mosaics from broken plates and pottery.

“It’s an all-green operation,” said Gray.

Crafter and festival participant Elaine Wilson feels that the OSA is a wonderful asset to crafters throughout the state.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without a group to back me and encourage me; now I am able to offer that support to others,” said Wilson.

She and her daughter began their craft when Wilson was knitting baby booties for her grandchildren. After making booties that resembled sneakers and Mary Janes, they began marketing them for craft fairs. Their booty business expanded into children’s aprons, with pockets for rolling pins and cookbooks.

OSA was founded in 1988 to provide opportunities for local artisans to network and provide education for the community about the arts and crafts industry. The goal was also to provide members with opportunities to showcase their work. Membership is open to Rhode Island residents and those within 25 miles of the state’s boundaries.

The show was also a community drive. Admission was $1 with a canned food item or $2 without a food item. Smith said 2,800 pounds of food was collected for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank last year, a total he hoped to exceed this year. Funds from admissions are used for contributions to shelters such as Amos House.

Perhaps the busiest of vendors on Saturday was Molly and Michelle’s Christmas Workshop. On the spot they made wreaths for shoppers who got to select everything they wanted from bows to pinecones, candy canes and chestnuts.

And for certain there weren’t any “made in China” stickers on any of those wreaths.