Browsing Arts Fest on a budget? Here are 15 items you can find for $20 or less

More than 300 artists have set up shop in downtown State College and on Penn State’s campus for the annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Hailing from Centre County and far beyond, they sell a range of goods, from straw baskets to glass animals.

Many of those finds, though unique, threaten to break the bank. For visitors looking to support these artists without spending too much, the Centre Daily Times put together a list of 15 items on offer for $20 or less.

Shoppers can find these treasures, which vary from wooden spoons to glass animals, at the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition. Stands are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Bring the outside, in with these budget finds

Wooden coasters

Alongside the rustic boxes at Morton Woodworking’s stand on Fairmount Street, Pennsylvania-based artist Leslie Swanson is offering an affordable option: wooden coasters. At $8, each woodcut piece is unique.

Flowers that last

At their stand on Allen Street, Michigan-based artists Dee and Michael Miller are selling handmade, wooden tulips and flower buds for under $20. No green thumb required.

Locally-sourced ornaments

It doesn’t get much more local than this.

Bellefonte-based woodworker Steve Strouse uses local materials for all of his products, including the ornaments he’s selling for $20 each.

Much of Strouse’s material comes from wood salvaged after two winter storms hit Centre County in the mid-1990s. One of those storms blew over a tree on Penn State’s campus, supplying a career’s worth of logs.

Strouse collaborated with local artist Cindy Hassler on a “Tree of Life” outline of that very elm, which is stenciled on his handmade ornaments. Shoppers can find that local treasure and more at Strouse Woodworking’s stand on Allen Street, on campus.

Spinning tops

David Souza, an artist based in Gilbertsville who specializes in unique heirloom bowls, is offering handmade, hand-inked spinning tops at his stand on Allen Street. At under $10 a piece, these toys are great for kids — and your pocket.

Wooden flatware

Pennsylvania-based artists Shawn Claypoole and Jonathan Simons are selling several wooden utensils for under $20.

Stay cool, look cool

Astou Dioum, a New York-based artist from Senegal who is set up on Pollock Street, makes woven items from fabric and recycled plastic. For shoppers looking to cool down, she’s selling fans for just $5.

Pet bowties, pocket squares

Looking for a bowtie? Humans, these may be out of your budget. But your dog is in luck.

At Vagabond Bowties’ stand on Fairmount Street, artists Duke Adams and Mike Beam are selling bowties for pets at $20. Pocket squares for people go for around the same price.

A Harrisburg-based business, Vagabond Bowties repurposes vintage fabric to make four-way reversible bowties. Each is hand-cut, hand-sewn, one-of-a-kind — and at Arts Fest, Penn State-themed.

Booze on a budget

Like veterans ... and beer? HBN Design’s stand on Fraser Street is your place. Helen Nelson, an artist based in Furlong, repurposes vintage, military materials into clothes and other items — including patched-out koozies, at $15 a piece.

State spirit accessories

Connecticut-based True Blue Collections is a family business, with Shengzhu Bernardin and her daughter, Phoenix Bernardin, traveling to festivals around the Northeast to sell their handmade fabric goods. The duo uses homemade stencils for each blue-and-white print, repeatedly dipping each piece in dye for darker hues.

At their stand on Pollock Street, shoppers can find hand-dyed, handsewn scrunchies, pouches and headbands all for under $20.

Beaded earrings

Mari Lutes specializes in “statement” pieces — bold necklaces inlaid with beads and shells. For something subtler (and cheaper), she’s also selling colorful, dangly earrings at her stand, MaJo Beads, on Burrowes Road.

Lutes, who is based in Jacksonville, North Carolina, used to work in State College but is new to Arts Fest. She described each of her beaded creations as an experiment.

“I never know what a piece is gonna look like till I’m done.”

Glass and clay in all shapes and prices

Tiny budget, tiny pots

Pittsburgh-based artist Leslie Green Guilbault hand-throws all her pieces on the wheel, no matter how small. At LGG Creative Art’s stand on Allen Street, Guilbault is selling tiny ceramic pots, each one decorated with colored glass, at $20 a piece.

Glass animals

David Sandidge’s stand on Allen Street is a portal to the beach.

From pufferfish to piranhas, the Florida-based artist crafts a range of animals out of glass. At $20 each, his miniature sea creatures make excellent gifts.

Cat magnets

Gardeners and pet-owners alike are sure to find something of interest at Kate Lally’s stand on Burrowes Road. Among the terracotta pieces she is selling, the Ohio-based artist makes magnets (3 for $20), cheese markers ($6 each) and plant pot labels (3 for $20).

Lally draws her pieces, many of which feature animals, by hand.

“She’s my muse,” Lally said of her cat.

One-of-a-kind prints

Animal prints

Owls, crocodiles, manatees and armadillos mingle in Holly Foss’ vibrant screen prints. At her stand on Allen Street, the Minnesota-based artist is selling small prints for just $12 each.

Caricatures

Charging $15 a head, Chip Mock can finish a caricature in under two minutes.

He has been drawing caricatures at Arts Fest since 1982, and is set up on Allen Street this year.

With a degree from the Arts Institute of Pittsburgh, Mock draws individuals, dogs, couples and families. He always starts with the nose.

“It’s the center of the universe,” he said.

Cecile McWilliams

Centre Daily Times

512-924-3134

Cecile McWilliams is a summer intern for the Centre Daily Times. She graduated from Princeton with a degree in Spanish in 2026.