NOVEMBER, 1989 // First store opens in Montclair, CA – and we move our headquarters into the store’s backroom. 10 Images
1989 // Skulls, crucifixes, spike bracelets, pyramid belts and other hard-to-find stuff in the mall? Done & done. 16 Images
1991 // We become known as the loudest store in the mall. Which means we basically rattle our neighbors’ walls. Listen to Hot Topic’s 25 Years of Music Spotify playlist!
1991 // We were labeled punks, geeks, weirdos, goths, rockers – and we didn’t care. It was our passion for music and pop culture that mattered. 05 Images
1991 // Something’s missing. Oh, yeah. Clothes. We bring Lip Service and Tripp to the mall. 06 Images
1993 // Remember MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball? We do, and hold our first in-store appearance with its host, Riki Rachtman. 01 Image