Craft lovers vote Berea as #1 town in U.S. for crafts

BEREA, Ky. (WTVQ) – After a six week voting period, and with over 47,789 Facebook votes tallied, craft lovers from across the U.S. have voted Berea as their #1 favorite town for crafts, in a contest sponsored by the organization Craft, and the Craft Retailers Association.

The town’s hardy showing beat out much larger cities, including St. Petersburg, Florida (#2), Asheville, North Carolina (#7), Louisville, Kentucky (#10), and Northampton, Massachusetts (#8), Berea fans logged onto the American Craft Week website to vote.

“This contest really tapped into Berea’s sense of community pride, into Kentucky’s great network of artists, and into the amazing number of visitors who come to Berea, said arts consultant Judy Sizemore. “Even people who don’t live in this town – they take pride in Berea as a community and as craft lovers.”

The sponsors of the vote are focusing their attention on the upcoming American Craft Week, which runs from October 1st through the 16th.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, which opened in 2003, has welcomed over 3 million people, with 233,592 visitors in 2015. The Center offers visitors a chance to purchase art and craft made by over 750 Kentucky artisans, to view special exhibits, meet artists, watch demonstrations, enjoy Kentucky cuisine at the Artisan café, and learn all about Berea.