1. First off, the store was more than a little intimidating if you'd never gone in there before.
2. The gigantic wall of band merchandise was a sight to behold.
3. Beyond that, there were a lot of skulls. Skulls everywhere, and on everything.
4. Hot Topic was your one-stop shop for bad-ass, fingerless gloves.
5. And if black wasn't your color, HT provided plenty of options.
6. There was a lot of merchandise of cute cartoon characters saying rude things.
7. You couldn't leave without buying a baggy button-up with a gigantic animé print on it.
8. Animé not really your speed? Not to worry; they had you covered. Covered in Spider-Man.
9. The bigger and baggier the pants, the better.
10. And DO NOT forget the chains. Almost all Hot Topic pants needed chains back then.
11. Same with the shorts. Obviously.
12. Plaid bell-bottoms were a must for any Hot Topic customer's wardrobe.
13. Barring that, you'd have to go for pink zebra-print pants with zippers on the calves.
14. If you had a formal event but still wanted to maintain your ~goth cred~, Hot Topic was the place to go.
15. And you FOR SURE accessorized with the tallest pair of knee-high, platform, lace-up boots you could find.
16. Resisting the urge to buy yet another studded wrist cuff was an exercise in futility.
17. Or else you were more of an "ironic sweatband" kind of person.
18. And, of course, it wouldn't have been Hot Topic without shelf after shelf of The Nightmare Before Christmas stuff.
Stay goth, my friends.
