Maybe not strictly "goth", but I certainly fell into their market segment in my teenage years (where else does one get one of those lovely studded belts in the

Maybe not strictly "goth", but I certainly fell into their market segment in my teenage years (where else does one get one of those lovely studded belts in the south?). About a year ago I was at a rather large mall up in Charlotte, NC and passed by the Hot Topic and the changes were rather noticeable. The most striking thing was the store was brightly lit. Then came the inventory. It used to be one would find an assortment of clothes, accessories, music, and a random assortment of other goods that one would associate with goth/punk/emo folk. This store had very little of the merchandise I once spent my hard earned money on. There were the shirts with Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and their ilk. Then came the meme shirts... think along the lines of the troll face. This store bore absolutely no resemblance to anything I would have ever stepped foot in as an angsty teen. Honestly, if it weren't for the signage, I likely would have mistaken the store for a Claire's[0]. The Hot Topic in my local, smaller mall retains some of the "charm" of the stores I so fondly remember, but even then the atmosphere, music, and products seem a bit more aimed at the "pop" crowd. I wonder if this was the result of a change in management, or if the store has always just followed the trends. Now that I think about it, that probably is exactly it. It's even right in the name, "Hot Topic", following fads. That said, I don't have a lot of hope for this particular acquisition. I found this photo, which resembles the aforementioned "bright" Hot Topic, but is actually quite a bit less peppy than the one I saw[1]. Contrast this with the typical Hot Topic of my youth[2]. [0] - http://www.claires.com/us/ http://www.claires.com/us/ [1] - http://www.protectshareholderrights.com/sites/default/files/styles/threshold-480/public/slideshows/hottopic.jpeg?itok=2vqubuXG http://www.protectshareholderrights.com/sites/default/files/... [2] - http://a.scpr.org/i/716075979884c2a7627a21b628ae0f77/95578-full.jpg http://a.scpr.org/i/716075979884c2a7627a21b628ae0f77/95578-f...