HOPE HOUSE FOUNDATION THRIFT STORE

Vintage Ashtray

2010-12-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

Espresso Coffee Cups

2010-12-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

Vintage Toy

2010-12-10T21:38:00.000-05:00

White Table With Arms

2010-12-09T20:56:00.001-05:00

1960's Bar Set

2010-12-08T19:55:00.002-05:00

Jewelry Box

2010-12-07T19:32:00.000-05:00

Picture Frames

2010-12-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

There's beauty buried under those Light-up Reindeer noses

2010-12-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

By Mike Gruss
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 4, 2010

Ugly?

"No, I try not to say 'ugly,' " Marina Owens says gently. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Try cheesy, she suggests.

Tacky, her colleague chimes in.

They are standing near the middle aisle at the Hope House Foundation Thrift Shop in Norfolk. It is a wasteland of other people's junk.

But because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in here it is department-store quality at thrift-store prices, and this aisle - well, this is the holy grail.

O Come All Ye Hipsters, Scornful and Triumphant.

Here in the middle of the clothing section is a rack with two dozen of the ugliest Christmas sweaters Hampton Roads has to offer.

Think of an elementary school librarian circa 1985. Think pom-poms and fuzzy bears in Santa hats, and snowmen, and reindeer with noses that really light up.

And then picture them bedazzled.

Tucked among the dress shirts, bridesmaid dresses and jean jackets, the middle aisle draws young people this time of year because it is December, which means it is ugly Christmas sweater party season. Or cheesy Christmas sweater party season, if you must. Thrift stores are ground zero.

"We just hit the jackpot," two college students said when they arrived this week.

O Come Ye, O Come Ye for an Ugly Sweater Party.

But this mother lode is not happenstance. It is not luck or fate or some kind of holiday miracle that allowed these shoppers to find the Medusa of ugly sweaters.

No. This is all planned.

For three years, or five years - or, because there is always one hipster saying she was doing it waaay before everyone else, even 10 years - the ugly Christmas sweater party has become the ironic holiday party of choice. A little ha-ha-ha to go with the ho-ho-ho.

Except the fad has become so prevalent that the thrift stores prepare for it. Better yet, they make money on it.

Volunteers at the Hope House shop sort through bags of water bottles, oversized T-shirts and pinstriped pants and set aside the ugliest of ugly Christmas sweaters in oversized Rubbermaid boxes. The cubes are stored and stacked in a musty nearby trailer for much of the year. They don't leave the sweaters out on the racks year-round because the shop's retail space, like retail space anywhere, is valuable. What's on the floor must sell.

And on Black Friday, while the diehard shoppers are at Best Buy and Target waiting in line three hours to earn a $30 gift card with their $300 purchase, Hope House store employees unveil 75 of the most hideous Christmas sweaters they have unearthed throughout the year.

At the Union Mission on Virginia Beach Boulevard, the ugly sweaters go for as little as $4.88, $6.88 if they're equipped with rhinestones and embroidery, and up to $12.88 if they're brand new. The stores probably could charge more.

"If we have them available, they're gone instantly," said Dawn McCauley, the store's manager.

Everything must go.

Come and behold it, worn beneath the elbow.

Laugh at the ugly sweater. Laugh at the pills on its shoulders and the fraying stitch on Santa's eye. Laugh at the jingle bell buttons. Laugh at the reindeer with lights strewn across its antlers.

Mock the fashion of yesteryear while holding it in the highest reverence. Then drop it off again in January, with a dollop of nacho cheese stain and the scent of Miller Lite and a vow that you are too old for ugly sweater parties.

In the meantime, Hope House raises about $600, almost enough to pay one month's rent for one of the adults it helps support.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Marina Owens says.

The beauty of the ugly Christmas sweater is that it is the gift that keeps on giving.

Mike Gruss, (757) 446-2277, mike.gruss@pilotonline.com

Wooden Horse On Wheels

2010-12-05T19:27:00.001-05:00

Books

2010-12-04T19:24:00.001-05:00

softcover = $0.75
hardback = $1.25

Leather Chair

2010-12-03T19:25:00.001-05:00

Spanish Dancer Doll

2010-12-02T19:22:00.001-05:00

Stools and Office Chair

2010-12-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

T Shirt

2010-11-30T20:43:00.001-05:00

1950's Pom Pom Silver Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T20:41:00.000-05:00

$60

Holiday Attire

2010-11-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

Little Santas

2010-11-27T20:36:00.001-05:00

Large Painting

2010-11-26T20:34:00.000-05:00

Green Rose

2010-11-25T20:32:00.001-05:00

Vintage Pyrex

2010-11-24T20:28:00.000-05:00

Kid Books

2010-11-23T20:24:00.000-05:00

1950's Dinette Set

2010-11-22T20:18:00.000-05:00

Comfy Recliner

2010-11-21T20:17:00.003-05:00

HAlloween Bride

2010-10-21T17:04:00.000-04:00

Sea Chest

2010-10-05T21:55:00.000-04:00

Boots

2010-10-04T20:21:00.001-04:00

Purple Sofa and Chairs

2010-10-02T21:50:00.000-04:00

Wetsuit -XCEL

2010-08-11T12:57:00.001-04:00

NEW! WITH TAGS!

back

click photos to enlarge them

Baby Grand Piano - Armstrong

2010-08-03T22:58:00.001-04:00

Armstrong Baby Grand Piano. It is a beautiful instrument, as well as a piece of furniture.
The piano has minimal wear and tear, scratches/nicks.
This instrument was maintained in a smoke free climate controlled residential environment. No repairs needed. It has been kept tuned and cleaned yearly. The owner is moving and has no room for this beautiful instrument.
It was built in 1941.

It comes with a piano bench.

Old Doll With Chimes

2010-07-31T19:59:00.002-04:00

Board Games

2010-07-30T14:59:00.001-04:00

Plush

2010-07-04T23:12:00.002-04:00

Hermes Bag [sold]

2010-07-03T23:13:00.000-04:00

Sandwich Puppet

2010-06-20T17:25:00.000-04:00

Mobility Scooter

2010-05-05T22:54:00.000-04:00

$900

Salt & Pepper Shakers

2010-05-03T22:44:00.000-04:00

Orange Dish

2010-05-01T22:41:00.001-04:00

Wicker Stool

2010-04-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

Dancing Elephants

2010-04-27T19:59:00.001-04:00

Cheese Grater

2010-04-25T19:13:00.002-04:00

T shirts

2010-04-02T21:50:00.002-04:00

Baskets

2010-04-01T21:46:00.000-04:00

Cream?

2010-03-31T21:44:00.000-04:00

Cups

2010-03-30T21:44:00.002-04:00

Sectional Sofa

2010-03-11T18:41:00.001-05:00

sold

Turandot Framed Poster

2010-03-10T18:41:00.002-05:00

iPod 20 gb

2010-03-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

Bike Child Rack

2010-03-04T10:17:00.001-05:00

Vintage Clothes

2010-03-02T10:15:00.000-05:00

Giraffe Stand

2010-03-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

I Am A Masterpiece

2010-02-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

Leather Sofa

2010-02-28T23:21:00.001-05:00

Pet Cage

2010-02-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

Luggage

2010-02-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

Natuzzi Leather Swivel Chair

2010-02-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

Green Stuff

2010-02-27T10:06:00.002-05:00

Cool Ties

2010-02-21T21:42:00.001-05:00

Bikes

2010-02-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

Sofas

2010-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

More Dance Shoes

2010-02-17T17:40:00.002-05:00

Bloch, Capezio, Sansha, SoDanca, Grishko

Dance Shoes - New in Box

2010-02-16T17:49:00.001-05:00

Penguins

2010-02-14T22:27:00.000-05:00

Chairs

2010-02-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

Records

2010-02-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

Lamp

2010-02-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

VHS Tapes

2010-02-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

Salt & Pepper Shakers

2010-02-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

Seatings

2010-02-08T22:13:00.000-05:00

Bench

2010-02-06T11:39:00.000-05:00

craigslist ad

Mirror

2010-02-06T11:33:00.000-05:00

on craigslist

Snow!

2010-02-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

Clothes And Shoes

2010-01-30T21:53:00.000-05:00

Celebrate Life Plate

2010-01-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

Mermaid Chair

2010-01-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

Mason Jars

2010-01-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

50 cents each

Scale

2010-01-26T21:47:00.001-05:00

Zoot Suits

2010-01-25T22:49:00.001-05:00

Humpty Dumpty Lamp

2010-01-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

Chairs

2010-01-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

Paint By Number

2010-01-20T21:15:00.002-05:00

Colors

2010-01-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

Cat Bed For Two

2010-01-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

Kitchenware

2010-01-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

Stands

2010-01-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

Snowglobe Music Box

2010-01-05T16:10:00.000-05:00

Sheet Music

2010-01-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

.75 cents each

Little Angel Clip

2010-01-03T22:24:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T22:07:00.004-05:00

Santa Advent Calendar

2009-12-06T21:54:00.003-05:00

Large Framed Picture

2009-12-02T12:23:00.001-05:00

Baskets

2009-12-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

$1 to $5

Wall Hanging Bass Relief

2009-11-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Gold Suit Size 6

2009-11-29T12:16:00.001-05:00

Christmas Decorations

2009-11-27T12:14:00.000-05:00

from $1 to $5

Small Frames

2009-11-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

$2 and $1

Hardback Non-Fiction Books

2009-11-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

$1.25 each

metal Antilope Cadle Holder

2009-11-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

Elephant Stand

2009-11-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

Christmas Mugs

2009-11-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

50 cents each

Lobster Platter

2009-11-19T12:07:00.000-05:00