Trash & Treasure Sale 2025

By Jubilee P. Reid

It is time once again for the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum’s Trash & Treasure Sale! Hosted by the Museum Guild, this annual spring sale is back with a large variety of merchandise available at less-than-thrift-store prices.

This year’s Premiere Night opens at 5 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. on the evening of Wednesday, April 23^rd. Tickets for Premiere Night are $10 and can be purchased at the museum office or at the sale entrance when doors open. The rest of the sale is open to the public for free and will be held Thursday and Friday, April 24^th and 25^th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday April 26^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Furniture, lamps, and jewelry will be available in the lower level of the museum at 522 West Madison Avenue, while all other goods for sale will be nearby at the Museum Annex at 408 West Washington Avenue. Remember to bring cash and/or checks to the sale as cards cannot be accepted.

Founded soon after the museum, the Museum Guild is comprised of many volunteers who collaborate to host fundraisers throughout the year including the Trash & Treasure sale. The guild always welcomes museum enthusiasts to join. Proceeds from Trash & Treasure benefit the museum’s numerous community programs throughout the year.

Every year Trash & Treasure includes a variety of one-of-a-kind items including antiques and artwork. One particularly distinctive item at the sale this year is a Saudi Arabian woven camel blanket. While the provenance of this particular saddle blanket is not known, it appears to be a “khorjin.” This is a type of handwoven saddle blanket and bag frequently made by Bedouins, Kurds, and other nomadic tribes of the Middle East, and Central Asia. Khorjin is a Persian word meaning “saddlebag.” Khorjins are woven blankets with large pockets, placed under a saddle often on donkeys, but also larger animals such as camels. The presence of pockets allows khorjins to function as saddlebags as well as blankets.

Khorjins are usually double saddlebags meaning they have pouches on both sides of the animal for carrying goods. Khorjins can be created in multiple ways. One common method is to weave a long panel of material, then fold the ends back up and sew them down to create a pouch on each end. Other khorjins are formed using two separate woven pouches for each side of the animal and feature a woven panel of greatly varying length connecting the two halves and placed under the saddle. Some khorjins include closures to secure each pouch while many others are left open.

Customarily hand-knotted or woven using wool, sometimes blended with cotton or silk, khorjins vary by maker and tribal tradition. The back of these is usually a simple woven panel with little or no embellishment. Many antique khorjins no longer have the original back panel as these generally unadorned sections are often removed when repurposing the item. Smaller variants of these bags are used as handbags, while the larger camel khorjins are frequently used as storage inside yurts as well. Khorjins have many different names depending on their precise use, whether as saddlebags, grain bags, or other storage form. Details on these saddlebags often have practical uses beyond pure decoration. One example is the rows of tassels commonly found on khorjins. As the animal walks, tassels swing, deterring flies.

The khorjin available at the Trash & Treasure sale is a traditional sienna-colored piece with an intricately woven triangular pattern featuring bits of blue, green, and brown as well as tassels. This vintage item could easily be repurposed into a decorative wall hanging, rug or other upholstered piece such as an ornamental pillow.

There are unique finds for everyone at the Trash & Treasure sale. From antiques for collectors, textile craft supplies for artists, household goods and décor, and home appliances, everyone is sure to find something interesting. Come to the 2025 sale to see what treasures you might discover!