For Wauwatosa siblings, ugly Christmas sweaters means business

WAUWATOSA -- The ugly Christmas sweater party is becoming a new holiday tradition, and a pair of Wauwatosa siblings is cashing in on that trend! At the Ultimate Ugly Christmas Store website, ugly means business!

17-year-old Jack McCarthy and his 22-year-old sister Martha are the workhorses behind the Ultimate Ugly Christmas Store website. They sell Christmas outfits that you wouldn't think you'd actually go out in! It all started back in 2008, when Martha decided to sell a Christmas sweater she'd bought from Goodwill for $5 on eBay. "We watched in amazement as this sweater was bid up to $50," Martha said.

The pair says this year, they've sold close to 300 ugly sweaters! The McCarthy's found a lot of their sweaters at garage sales and thrift stores throughout southeastern Wisconsin. "We look for the ones that are really heavily decorated," Martha said. Others are their own unique creations. "Sometimes we take modern sweaters and sweatshirts and kind of sew or glue little ornaments or stockings," Martha said.

The ugly sweaters are priced on the website based on ugliness. "They start at $19, and if it's really good, it will go up to $45," Jack said.

The ugly Christmas sweaters are shipped out from their parent's basement in Wauwatosa. "In the beginning, my parents were kind of skeptical about the whole ugly sweaters. My dad especially. Once he saw them all sell, he said we proved him wrong," Jack said.