Orv Madden, former executive of The Children’s Place, began selling T-shirts and assorted novelty items out of his garage in 1988. He opened his first retail location in 1989 in the Montclair Plaza, in Montclair, California. The company operates a chain of counterculture stores, usually located in shopping malls. The stores offer clothing, accessories, and licensed music.
At least 40% of Hot Topic’s sales come from rock band T-shirts. The company negotiates exclusive licensing arrangements with singers and bands, movie studios, and graphic artists.
Despite other retailers struggling with sales at mall and department stores, Hot Topic is expanding. It’s easy to see why. Step into any location and you will see what the hot trend is right now. The company currently has 670 locations, with pop-up locations during Halloween and Christmas.
Hot Topic was one of the first youth retailers to offer plus-sized clothing. This option was so popular that the company created a spin-off dedicated solely to plus size fashion called Torrid.
Headquarters for Hot Topic are located in Industry, California.
I would like to make a complaint about an extremely negative experience my 11 year old son had in the Hot Topic at Flatirons Crossing in Broomfield Colorado. When attempting to checkout a package that was clearly marked $6 was ringing up for $10. I asked if the price could be adjusted and Zeke Trujillo said that he was the manager and had the ability to change the price but would not do so because it was ringing up for higher than marked. I explained that all of the boxes were marked the same and the price should be honored. He was very sarcastic and condescending and my son walked out in tears. I would like someone to contact me and let me know when this employee has been spoken to.