Navajo artisans hit by recession at annual sale

William Whitehair, a Navajo weaver, usually sells out of his intricately designed rugs each fall during the Navajo Rug Show at Deer Valley Resort. But not this year. He still had several rugs for sale in his booth Sunday afternoon. "It has been real slow," said Whitehair, who lives in the small Navajo community called Big Mountain. The worst economic downturn since the Great Depression affected sales of the handmade rugs, as well as jewelry and crafts at the 20th annual show Sunday. Fewer people are willing to pay from $100 to as much as $15,000 for a hand-woven piece of art, artisans said. While the show itself was crowded much of the weekend, crafts people said actual sales -- especially of higher-priced items -- were markedly down from previous years...read more