Now that’s a loud sweatshirt. Photo: Brian Clark Howard
On Friday, I went to a great local thrift store, Meeps, in Adams Morgan, a (still relatively) hip section of Washington, D.C. I went with Natalie Handel, a video reporter for AFP (Agence France Presse), the French news service.
Natalie was working on a piece on the growing trend of ugly Christmas sweaters, for the international market. She said it would most likely be translated into six languages and distributed to web and broadcast outlets around the world.
Natalie spoke with me about our book, and about ugly Christmas sweaters. Meeps was a great location, because they have a wonderful selection of ugly Christmas sweaters displayed prominently in the front of their store this time of year. They even have several great numbers in the window, for passersby to enjoy.
We went in shortly after the store opened, to chat with the friendly staff, who told us they are doing a brisk business in seasonal ugly. We also met several customers who came in specifically to buy ugly Christmas sweaters. It seems there are numerous ugly sweater events around D.C. this year.
Jordyn Barone was shopping with a friend, and she kindly agreed to be photographed for RYUCS, as she tried on several numbers (pictured).
Jordyn settled on the ugly bear sweatshirt, because she said it was very comfortable, as well as “hilarious.” The sweatshirt is probably from the 1980s, so there’s a chance it is older than she is. Way to recycle the holiday memories!
A softer side. Photo: Brian Clark Howard
Thrift stores are a great source of ugly Christmas sweaters and sweatshirts, but our best advice is to shop early, because many get cleaned out, sometimes even by November. Savvy shops like Meeps have started ordering a continuos supply throughout the season, because they know there is growing demand, and ugly sweaters can get people in the door. Goodwill and Salvation Army, take notice.
