BOSTON – Two New England craftsmen are suing the Christmas Tree Shops, accusing the popular bargain stores of stealing their original designs.

The craftsmen, in a lawsuit to be filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston, allege that the Christmas Tree Shops copied their designs, then mass-produced their crafts in China so they could be sold for a fraction of what they go for in artisan shops.

John Knight, co-owner of the Glass Eye Gallery in North Eastham, claims the Christmas Tree Shops copied the design of a wall sconce he has been selling for the last six years. Knight sells the handmade sconce for $31.95, while the Christmas Tree Shops sell a product that looks nearly identical for $1.99, Knight said.

“I felt like I had been robbed,” said Knight. “We’re the little guy on the block here. We work hard to have respectable items. We have a high degree of pride in the work that we do, and it is all hand-done. You feel like your creativity is being stolen away from you.”

Similar charges are being made by the owners of Country Glass Shop, in Marshfield, Vt., who claim the Christmas Tree Shops copied their design of one of their “Sun Catcher” window hangings and now sell them for $1.69.

The lawsuit, which was to be filed Thursday, alleges violations of the federal RICO statute – a law originally designed to go after mobsters – claiming the Christmas Tree Shops has engaged in a pattern of misappropriating original designs.

Sarah Gregory, counsel to Christmas Tree Shops, based in Yarmouth, said the company had not been served with a copy of the lawsuit and was unable to comment.