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Weavers are challenged by the popularity of low-priced items, said Barbara Heller, a tapestry weaver based on Granville Island.

“People don’t want to pay what things are worth,” said Heller, 63, who stood behind a wooden counter at Fibre Art Studio on the island late Friday morning.

“We’re so used to mass produced items from Third World countries you know you go to The Bay and you can find something for five dollars and to pay 50 or $100 for the scarf that’s hand-woven, it’s that we’ve lost touch with how things are made,” said Heller.

Heller, who wore jeans and a blue top and sweater, is one of five weavers who share the studio.

The studio is participating in Culture Days from Friday to Sunday. “Culture Days is a collaborative movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities,” according to the Granville Island website.

The weavers will demonstrate and talk about their work from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Heller said this isn’t a big change from what they usually do, but the studio is normally closed Sundays.

The studio resembled a 360-degree rainbow of mixed colours and textures. Yarn wound into balls filled baskets on the floor. A yellow and green scarf draped a mannequin neck on the counter.

A loom across from the counter revealed Heller’s work in progress‒ a large tapestry of a crumbling stone building.

Apart from the studio, Heller said she’s represented by Elliott Lewis Gallery.

Heller, who’s been weaving for around 35 years, said locals aren’t coming to the island as much since the Olympics, which she said she attributes to Olympic parking bans. She said she thinks people started shopping elsewhere.

She said a benefit of being located on Granville Island is that there are a lot of tourists who buy items such as yarn and scarves.

A man and woman from Ontario popped into the studio. The woman, with white hair, looked for yarn and pulled a green sock out of her purse with knitting needles still attached.

“In the ‘70s and even into the ‘80s there was a real love of the handmade. You know the hippy generation, whatever, there was a return to it,” said Heller.

She said people started to shift their focus to fitness.

“And now people are back,” said Heller.

“Young people are knitting and learning to weave and spin and maybe we’ll come back to the appreciation of the handmade.”