Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

How Twilight Rescued Hot Topic

Goth retail mainstay is relevant again thanks to books, films

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 20, 2009 11:34 AM CST
Email

(Newser) – Like much of America, Ylan Q. Mui had forgotten all about Hot Topic, the mall mainstay for baby Goth merchandise—and then Twilight came along and made the store relevant again. The uber-popular vampire franchise “accomplished what the store had tried but failed to do: It made goth mainstream,” Mui writes for DoubleX. And thanks to Hot Topic hawking Twilight merch before any other outlet, sales are up for the first time in 5 years.

“My Hot Topic phase came and went faster than you can say Nine Inch Nails—and, apparently, so did everyone else's,” Mui continues, but after becoming a Twilight fan, she decided to give the store another shot: Her take? A cotton cuff with the Cullen crest and a Team Edward T-shirt, rung up by one of the tattooed employees who used to frighten her as a kid. “Was it fun? Not really. But at least I can say that I wasn't scared.”

Ariana Greer reacts as actor Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob in the vampire film Twilight, autographs her shirt at the Hot Topic store in Tukwila, Wash., on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008.
Ariana Greer reacts as actor Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob in the vampire film "Twilight," autographs her shirt at the Hot Topic store in Tukwila, Wash., on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008.   (AP Photo/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Mike Urban)
Twilight merchandise at the Hot Topic store during the 'Twilight' at Midnight DVD launch event held at Hot Topic on March 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Twilight merchandise at the Hot Topic store during the 'Twilight' at Midnight DVD launch event held at Hot Topic on March 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.   (Getty Images)
Twilight merchandise at the Hot Topic store during the 'Twilight' at Midnight DVD launch event held at Hot Topic on March 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Twilight merchandise at the Hot Topic store during the 'Twilight' at Midnight DVD launch event held at Hot Topic on March 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.   (Getty Images)
Twilight merchandise at the Hot Topic store during the 'Twilight' at Midnight DVD launch event held at Hot Topic on March 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Twilight merchandise at the Hot Topic store during the 'Twilight' at Midnight DVD launch event held at Hot Topic on March 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Twilight T-shirts. Twilight hoodies. Twilight jewelry. Twilight lunch boxes. Twilight slap bracelets. Executives say Twilight has been their best-selling license in at least a decade.
- Ylan Q. Mui

I had forgotten that Hot Topic existed. The last time I ventured into that dark and gloomy corner of the mall was to secretly purchase incense and Marilyn Manson CDs in high school.
- Ylan Q. Mui

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
opheliaglass
Nov 20, 2009 11:23 AM CST
"scared"? Why exactly do we over-essentialize and over-dramatize these things.... Was "goth" always such a ridiculous thing?

 
entertainment • retail • mall • vampire • Twilight • vampires • New Moon • Hot Topic • Jay-ZTV • shopping mall

More Newser Stories

Introducing the Vampire Facelift

The Wealthiest Fictional Characters

Hey Twilight Fans: Edward Really Is Related to Dracula

Last Twilight Film Will Likely Split in 2

Man Bites Teen Girl After New Moon Screening
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne