Hot Topic

[ForrestBlack]

Stikky Fingers here in Baltimore is a good place. I had a friend visit from out of town.. she had her 14 year old son with her who had seen Hot Topic in the mall for the first time and he'd wanted to go there.
I took them to Stikky Fingers and he was able to buy all of the stuff he wanted there instead. I was relieved and happy to support an aquaintence's business!

That place is cool! I still have a great pair of boots and a metal plated belt that I got there many years ago.

[TheDeathKnight]

Ok, I know Hot Topic is generic.
I know they are like the "K-Mart/Wal-Mark" of alternative clothing...
I know that the stuff you buy there is not original, etc...

But seriously, look at the big picture.
You have 51% of America who are all for a born-again Christian agenda.
We have uptight people, conservative attitudes, and all kinds of problems.

I am all for ANYTHING that lets people express themselves differently from the norm.
If there was not Hot Topic in Ohio, etc, what would those people wear?
At least people can show that they want to be different from the norm.
The more people who dress differently, the more likely that employers
and people in general, will start to accept it as ok, and not look at you
like a criminal or a scumbag of some kind. I'd be happy if half the country
went around in Hot Topic clothes. Why? Because it is a hell of a lot better
than everyone wearing Abercrombie and Fitch, or whatever other generic
crap people are wearing.

And yes, I agree that it is not truly individual.
If you want to be individual, and creative, and expressive, you will find a way.
Even if everyone was wearing Hot Topic, I would still find a way to make
interesting and unique things to wear. But I really think it would be cool
if most Americans were more willing to try different hair colors, etc...
If it were accepted, then it would evolve, so that people would try
to be more interesting than the other people. So even more unique
looks and styles would evolve. Look at the street kids in Japan.
They are incredibly creative. Or look at the Rave scene.
I think people should be encouraged to be more creative,
and I think that if Hot Topic helps, then more power to them...

[KilLAtomiK]

i only know of one hot topic near me and its in a mall, a particular mall im banned for life from, so even if i wanted to shop there i couldnt

[Jax]

Stikky Fingers here in Baltimore is a good place. I had a friend visit from out of town.. she had her 14 year old son with her who had seen Hot Topic in the mall for the first time and he'd wanted to go there.
I took them to Stikky Fingers and he was able to buy all of the stuff he wanted there instead. I was relieved and happy to support an aquaintence's business!

Wow, that name brings up old memories! I was squatting in Baltimore, and the owner took me in under her wing. I helped demolish her new house so she could remodel, and offered me a piercing job there. She was SO awesome!

[SindelChaos]

I am all for ANYTHING that lets people express themselves differently from the norm.
If there was not Hot Topic in Ohio, etc, what would those people wear?

I understand what you mean, but if they were really that set on being individual they would:

buy online
make their own clothes
shop at normal clothing stores and make minor alterations to fit their tastes.

I think saying if the store didn't exist those people wouldn't exist is just an excuse for people just being lazy. I didn't have a Hot Topic in my hometown for a long ass time, and I still found a way to look creepy and even after it opened, I used as many different options as I could than shopping there.

[Nautilus]

Hot Topic is a rip joint (at least around here). You can get better stuff at 1/5 the price thrift or from a Halloween outlet :P

[BrightStar]

Isnt wearing a dog collar from wal-mart that is black, leather, and has spikes basically the same, but cheaper?

**

[karamae]

TheDeathKnight I appreciate your point and I agree.
Its too bad that Hot Topic shies away from anything outright blasphemous... because I'm all for that!

[Kidthorazine]

If there was not Hot Topic in Ohio, etc, what would those people wear?

Well you could go to Chain Link Addiction, or the Mission, all are very fine goth stores in Cleveland, Ohio.

[Amelia G]

Well you could go to Chain Link Addiction, or the Mission, all are very fine goth stores in Cleveland, Ohio.

Forrest and I have done photography for them and they are actually part of the scene. They get a Blue Blood thumbs up

Cleveland was also where the Punk Ass guy had a store before it closed, wasn't it?

[Sour Girl]

blah blah... am i supposed to feel bad for shopping there??? i will admit to the low quality, and that blows. But I still like some of their stuff.
you take what you can get in the midwest, and i'm not much for buying clothes online, since i cant try things on.

[SindelChaos]

blah blah... am i supposed to feel bad for shopping there??? i will admit to the low quality, and that blows. But I still like some of their stuff.
you take what you can get in the midwest, and i'm not much for buying clothes online, since i cant try things on.

Oh you're in the Midwest too, that's cool.

[swansblood]

Try Dark Entry or Gargoyles and New Orleans both are why better that Hot topic

[devil13]

Try Dark Entry or Gargoyles and New Orleans both are why better that Hot topic

then why in your bio does it say you shop at hot topic? you dont have to lie to impress us.

[chaosfeary]

No option for my vote:

Heard of it, but never been to one (there aren't any here) - so can't really comment.

[ashtray_heart]

i dont live in america but there is a similar equivalent in brighton. i dont think it matters what clothes you wear, as long as you wear them differently. whats sad is that theese shops are selling a uniform, not individual clothes.

[Helix]

I only go into Hot Topic when I need a CD that for one reason or another I couldn't purchase online. Sometimes I'll even find a shirt or other apparel that I like and will of course buy it. For instance, a few days ago I found a Siouxsie and the Banshees shirt and thus promptly bought it. I really prefer shopping in NYC though...

[incog]

then why in your bio does it say you shop at hot topic? you dont have to lie to impress us.

That sounds more like swansblood is being honest. He admitted he sometimes shops at Hot Topic even though they are terrible but he recommended the places he feels are better.

[swansblood]

Actually I only sho there now cause I no longer live in new Orleans see said Bio

[CarnalxKiss]

I only go into Hot Topic when I need a CD that for one reason or another I couldn't purchase online. Sometimes I'll even find a shirt or other apparel that I like and will of course buy it. For instance, a few days ago I found a Siouxsie and the Banshees shirt and thus promptly bought it. I really prefer shopping in NYC though...

hey thats true i've found some awesome compilation cd's in Hot Topic

[a_small_death]

Places like Hot Topic do so damn well here In New Mexico because of the fact there is nothing out here. Retailers like that know they can get away with murder where there are no good or even decent quality places to shop. Man I need to back to texas.

[kellie]

I think hot topic is good for getting youngins into the scene. Metropolis records makes special cheap sample cds just for hot topic, lip-service makes cheaper versions for hot topic. These teenagers are going to get older and start supporting the record labels and clothing companys they grew to love at hot topic.
I give it a thumbs up.

[HellDragon]

Hm. HT. They're good for Stickers. And pins occasionally. And I bought a 2-inch spike for the back of my *bounce* New Rocks. They suck for most things, tho. Mostly because of the bastardly Mansonite reasons the I won't reiterate.

~HellDragon~
"You know you drank the night before when you wake up with crop circles in your pubes."
- Doug Benson -

[[..:Verónica:..]]

Well, this little island seems to be Hot Topic's latest target, and in less than a year they've opened 5 or 6 stores in every big mall. I usually go to see what's new, but seldom buy anything. Not because I'm against it, but because I don't like anything that much. The cd's they sell are awful; the clothing would never fit on me; the tshirts, well, some are ok. The only thing I check out are the 50% over 50%'s sales, some things are worth my cash.

The only thing that fucks me is the huge amount of kids playing gothy goth because they wear trenchcoats and H.I.M. shirts and hangs out at the mall. I'm past my "angst-ridden" years ages ago, but gosh, I can't recall a time in which I pretended to be something I wasn't. So sad for them...

[Morning Glory]

on an unrelated note isn't it funny that so many adults critisize kids for "not caring about anything" while most people consider maturity to be the very same thing. I hear so many people talk about "angst filled" youth, and "I remember when I was rebellous" as if not getting upset about your situation in life, becoming complacent and docile is a sign of being grown up. who's the real "aware" person here? sometimes I wonder...

Actually THIS is the real problem with Hot Topic. In our society "Youthful Rebellion" has become a ritual; every generation is expected to revolt against the social order for a few years before "growing up" and "accepting reality." This negates any power for real change that the fresh perspective of youth could have; for now rebellion is "just for kids," and no young person dares to maintain their resistance throughout adulthood for fear of being thought of as childish.
This arrangement is very much to the advantage of corporations like Hot Topic who depend on the "Youth Market." Where is your money going when you buy that CD, that hair dye, that leather jacket, and all those other accessories that identify you as a rebellious young person? Right back to the companies that make up the order you want to rebel against. They cash in on your rebellious impulses by selling you symbols of rebellion that actually just keep the wheels turning. You keep their pockets full and they keep yours empty; they keep you powerless, busy trying to buy into the molds that they set for you.

[motormenace]

well, the next time you look at the GAP and say "this sucks!", who do you think owns hot topics? i personally think the store sucks! once in a while i'll go in for shits and giggles (and laugh and want to run for my life!). what really disapoints my is how they deal with their suppliers. look at lip sevices line of clothing and quality there. it suck ass!(and not in a good way)

i bought a johnny suade shirt from stickky fingers years ago. $50
i bought 2 johnny suade shirts from hot topic (i was drinkin that day, and alot!) $65
the one from stickky fingers still looks new and fits great, the other two are 2-3" shorter (in the first place!), shrank, and are falling apart.

so, the point of the story is support the smaller places or you'll be bitchin' about "there no good small stores to shop at" because you didn't help to suport them in the first place!

[Kidthorazine]

um actually the GAP doesnt own Hot Topic. Hot Topic is its own evil corporation with its own evil stock (some of which i owned at one point until i cashed it out) i heard that rumour at one point as well but is entirely unsubstantiateed and un true but both stores really suck.

[pagan]

I was into looking the part in my youth. I learned how to sew, make clothes, be creative, use thrift shops. All my friends did as well. It was cool to wear soomething unique because it was a one of a kind and you came up with it, or a friend did. A cool use of a 2$ item from goodwill was cool as shit. I remember back before anyone had internet. Someone had "bondage" pants that he claimed he made but we all saw the tag on it. He ordered them online. Some people gave him such a hard time about it, we never saw those pants again. Years later it becomes ok to order clothes from companys in the scene.. Now there is hot topic. To me it seems like a novelty store like spencers gifts nextdoor. Strange how times change and so does the impression of whats cool or not.
Also I work for a small company, some of you know what I do. We were fortunate enough to get an account with HT. The volume that they order is far more than any independant shop. Hence for the same exact thing HT will pay no more than %50 of what your local independant shop pays. HT offers our stuff a couple bucks cheaper (not near %50 cheaper though which means ht gets an even greater profit than small shops) than any local shop can. This hurts the scene by A: kids can get it cheaper sometimes at HT, B: HT orders 1000's at a time and sometimes quality lacks at an order that big. Your local shop will order 20 or so and we have the time to double check everything.

It's the same thing wallmart is doing, how many small gun shops, fishing shops, bike shops, etc. are still around in small towns where a wallmart went up.

[killerkat]

you know a good example of that:

long ago in my "drifter" days i got a cool ass veitnam military jacket with patches in all,i wore that mother out,now you can buy those at any Ht or other "scene" place and they charge like $90 for the basterds,theres rips,while mine survived a war and about 30 years after,so there....haha.....

[Kidthorazine]

you know a good example of that:

long ago in my "drifter" days i got a cool ass veitnam military jacket with patches in all,i wore that mother out,now you can buy those at any Ht or other "scene" place and they charge like $90 for the basterds,theres rips,while mine survived a war and about 30 years after,so there....haha.....

What i dont get is why people have to buy things like BDUs (camoflage tops and bottoms for those of you who dontknow) fromm a place like hot topic when you can get better looking, more durable ones from freaking army surplus store brand new for like half the price its fucking ridiculous.

[killerkat]

What i dont get is why people have to buy things like BDUs (camoflage tops and bottoms for those of you who dontknow) fromm a place like hot topic when you can get better looking, more durable ones from freaking army surplus store brand new for like half the price its fucking ridiculous.

yea,when i was a kid i almost lived at Greene's Military in Knoxville, but they only had "new" stuff(now it's a militia,hangoutget shot now,haha),but yea i get what you mean.......

i don't like actual camo though,the Vietnam bdu's were a solid nasty green.....

[Kidthorazine]

yea,when i was a kid i almost lived at Greene's Military in Knoxville, but they only had "new" stuff(now it's a militia,hangoutget shot now,haha),but yea i get what you mean.......

i don't like actual camo though,the Vietnam bdu's were a solid nasty green.....

yeah those green ones are cool you can still buy those too sometimes because the air force still uses them i think. im just used to the camo ones because they where are uniform at millitary school i have one i made into a vest with a bunch af anti bush buttons and a big three inches of blood back patch that i stapled on its bad ass

[killerkat]

yeah those green ones are cool you can still buy those too sometimes because the air force still uses them i think. im just used to the camo ones because they where are uniform at millitary school i have one i made into a vest with a bunch af anti bush buttons and a big three inches of blood back patch that i stapled on its bad ass

hell yea,for anti-bush pins..........

[toxic love doll]

I'm not gonna chastise anyone for shopping where they please, even if it is HT, but I do, frankly, loathe that place with all of my being! Yes, I am sick of the homogenized subculture that they whore out at every mall they can get their hands on. But more aggrevating to me is the fact that I've watched friends of mine close down their shops, after 10-20 years in business, because their potential client base was going to HT, because it was closer and/or cheaper. HT has literally ruined many of my friend's lives.

[ForrestBlack]

I'm not gonna chastise anyone for shopping where they please, even if it is HT, but I do, frankly, loathe that place with all of my being! Yes, I am sick of the homogenized subculture that they whore out at every mall they can get their hands on. But more aggrevating to me is the fact that I've watched friends of mine close down their shops, after 10-20 years in business, because their potential client base was going to HT, because it was closer and/or cheaper. HT has literally ruined many of my friend's lives.

Don't you think it might be a reasonable position to hold people accountable for supporting that then?

If the general feeling in this thread is that HT buys crappier/cheaper product from cool clothing suppliers, while putting the smaller stores out of business, wouldn't the natural conclusion be that soon these suppliers will have no reason to make better products, and we will have essentially allowed the rug to be pulled out from under ourselves? Wouldn't promoting a culture that cares about quality and independence be the honorable way to go? Clearly shopping there hurts the outlets for varied quality clothing and accessories and such, so why wouldn't it be reasonable to hold it against the lazy people that would sell out their scene for a little convenience and a very short term gain? This isn't really meant to put you in specific on the spot, it's a more general thought.

[Kidthorazine]

Don't you think it might be a reasonable position to hold people accountable for supporting that then?

If the general feeling in this thread is that HT buys crappier/cheaper product from cool clothing suppliers, while putting the smaller stores out of business, wouldn't the natural conclusion be that soon these suppliers will have no reason to make better products, and we will have essentially allowed the rug to be pulled out from under ourselves? Wouldn't promoting a culture that cares about quality and independence be the honorable way to go? Clearly shopping there hurts the outlets for varied quality clothing and accessories and such, so why wouldn't it be reasonable to hold it against the lazy people that would sell out their scene for a little convenience and a very short term gain? This isn't really meant to put you in specific on the spot, it's a more general thought.

I tottaly agree BTW i know this is way off topic your posts seem to be kinda agry lately i just wanted to point that out somewhere um yeah...

[toxic love doll]

Don't you think it might be a reasonable position to hold people accountable for supporting that then?

If the general feeling in this thread is that HT buys crappier/cheaper product from cool clothing suppliers, while putting the smaller stores out of business, wouldn't the natural conclusion be that soon these suppliers will have no reason to make better products, and we will have essentially allowed the rug to be pulled out from under ourselves? Wouldn't promoting a culture that cares about quality and independence be the honorable way to go? Clearly shopping there hurts the outlets for varied quality clothing and accessories and such, so why wouldn't it be reasonable to hold it against the lazy people that would sell out their scene for a little convenience and a very short term gain? This isn't really meant to put you in specific on the spot, it's a more general thought.

Personally, I agree with every word of what you've said, but (and this is a big but), how can I expect people who don't know what the world was like before HT to understand? As far as the younger folks in the scene are concerned, HT IS the way of life. They don't remember spending hours on buses to get to downtown where ever just to see if the new Cyxtees dresses or Lippy shirts were in, and hoping that you had enough money just to put one on lay-away. To many people now, that all seems beyond absurd.

In a way, good for them for having it so much easier than I did. In a way, they are killing what is left of the subculture that they want to be a part of. In the end, it turns my stomach, but there's nothing that I can do to stop it.

[Kidthorazine]

Personally, I agree with every word of what you've said, but (and this is a big but), how can I expect people who don't know what the world was like before HT to understand? As far as the younger folks in the scene are concerned, HT IS the way of life. They don't remember spending hours on buses to get to downtown where ever just to see if the new Cyxtees dresses or Lippy shirts were in, and hoping that you had enough money just to put one on lay-away. To many people now, that all seems beyond absurd.

In a way, good for them for having it so much easier than I did. In a way, they are killing what is left of the subculture that they want to be a part of. In the end, it turns my stomach, but there's nothing that I can do to stop it.

Um actually i dont remember the pre Hot Topic days but i still dont shop there i put forth the effort to look for something better and i found it kids today are just too fucking lazy.

[killerkat]

Um actually i dont remember the pre Hot Topic days but i still dont shop there i put forth the effort to look for something better and i found it kids today are just too fucking lazy.

see in my opinion,even if kids /people don't remember the days or are too young, then they should do a little homework, how can you honestly say your punk without knowing who tsol or duane peters is, or how could you be goth without some...well you get my point.....

i don't really see it as an excuse to people not in the know or too young....

[toxic love doll]

There is no excuse. But from my perspective, its simply a losing battle. I don't shop there and that is about all that I can do. I've tried talking to people and explaining to them why I thought that they should not patronize that place, but then I'm regarded as either being an elitest or being an old biddy who's trying to hold onto past glories and telling the kiddies how to live their lives. That accomplishes nothing. I'm not condoning it, but I will not pass judgement on anyone just because of where they shop.