This isn’t the usual Buy Local column, because it is not simply about one person who creates a made-in-Hawaii product or products.

Rather, it is about some 40 juried exhibitors, invited nonprofit organizations and members of the TEMARI Center for Asian and Pacific Arts and all the goodies that will be offered at its annual Trash & Treasure sale Sunday at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

The "trash," as it’s called, isn’t really opala to be thrown away. Rather, it comprises items people are de-accessing, that might be considered treasures to collectors. You know the saying: "One man’s trash is another man’s treasure."

The treasure, on the other hand, is handmade, made-in-Hawaii merchandise ranging from fine jewelry to clothing to pottery with a whole range of stuff in between.

What do you mean you’ve never heard of a bra purse? It is a purse made out of a bra and is brightly decorated, as created by Cheri Keefer.

Some of the vendors, such as 91-year-old Lorraine Tokuyama, create rarities only available at craft fairs. She has been an exhibitor for all 33 years of Trash & Treasure, and this year will offer sashiko-embroidered finery and quilted items.

"She goin’ wear heels," quipped TEMARI Executive Director and co-founder Ann Asakura. "Two-inch heels. I’m wearing slippahs right now," she said.

Ume Pits, a collaborative of four artisans, often sell out of their unique and quirky wares including fishing lure earrings and "Leis for Lolos," which are repurposed items strung into lei.

Another experienced vendor, Barbara Edelstein of The Gallery at Ward Centre, will be selling her woven, beaded jewelry, and her son Josh will offer the fruits of his silversmithing work.

It will be the second T&T event for Cari Nakanishi, owner of and designer for Miemiko, also at Ward Centre. She makes handcrafted stationery and letterpress goods for her shop, and her offerings at the sale will include gift tags she has created.

Last year’s sale was "a really good experience," she said. "Beyond it being a great sale … I got to be witness to this group of women, mainly women. … It’s kind of like a co-op of people supporting each other," she said.

"I just got sucked into this big vortex of goodness. … The people surrounding me were really nice and very supportive."

TEMARI’s annual Trash & Treasure sale has moved from its humble beginnings at Kaimuki Hongwanji on 10th Avenue, first to McKinley High School, in the cafeteria and outdoor space where the "trash tent" was erected. It was hot, Asakura said.

In recent years it has been staged at the Japanese Cultural Center in Moiliili where the invited artisans can offer their wares from the air-conditioned fifth-floor Manoa Grand Ballroom managed by Marian’s Catering.

The sale "supports JCCH, and it’s nice to work with Marian’s," said Asakura.

TEMARI uses its own annual sale to help other nonprofits do their own fundraising, so on the lanai, shoppers will find invited nonprofits include book publishing house Bamboo Ridge Press, the Hawaii Potters Guild, the Autism Society and the Pacific Asian Affairs Council, all doing their own fundraising thing.

Another one, Hui o Laulima, will stage its popular nuno zori, or rag slippers-weaving make-and-take workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for which people can sign up beginning at 8 a.m. Kits cost $5 each.

Trash & Treasure will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a one-hour, members-only preview to begin an hour earlier. Proof of TEMARI or JCCH membership will be required for early entry.

With limited parking in and around JCCH, new this year will be free valet parking, for which Asakura credited TEMARI board chairwoman Jan Kawabata. "She reads the evaluations every year," and came up with the idea as a service to event attendees.

"Please tip the valets," Asakura added.

The Trash & Treasure sale helps support TEMARI’s mission to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn traditional and nontraditional Asian and Pacific art forms.

Separately but not coincidentally, JCCH also is staging its "Things Japanese" sale. It started with a private preview Thursday afternoon and will continue from Saturday through Jan. 11. The JCCH gift shop, normally closed Sundays, will be open during the Trash & Treasure sale.

On the Net:

» temaricenter.org/news.html

» hawaiifineartists.com

» www.miemiko.com/miemiko.html

» www.jcch.com

Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.