Artificial red-tinted lighting separates two distinct pathways towards Heaven and Hell. A gargoyle with blood-shot eyes penetrates my vision, like an attempt to devour my soul. Despite a wave of uncomfortable vibes, I select the dark journey through the eerie, victorian-styled gates of uncertainty. Gory images of demented characters line the walls with mothballs jumping at the slightest movement, as if pleading to exit. A strong aroma of aged dust mixed with cheap t-shirt ink irritates my nostrils and seconds later I am in the oddly-fitting vampire stance...of coughing, of course! A faint whisper echoes towards me from behind the counter. A male dressed in ripped skinny jeans, worn-out red Vans, and a Black Sabbath t-shirt approaches me at my unexpected presence in this creepy realm. His hair has unnatural bleach blonde highlights and is slightly spiked up. I couldn't help but cringe at the sight of his ear lobes being distorted by gage earrings. His peeling tag reads "Christian Johnson" in a dripping blood style of font. He told me if I had any questions to not hesitate to ask in a raspy, west-coast accent. As a female figure in a pastel pink lululemon skirt and pearl white tennis shoes, he had to of made a double take to make sure I was real. I inquired Christian of how long he has been with Hot Topic and discovered he has been assistant floor manager of Hot Topic (Yorktown mall) for the past five years. I notified him of the creepy reputation of this venue and asked for his opinions on individuals "too scared" to enter. "I really do not get all the hype about Hot Topic being some s*** hole to shop at. It is a chill environment that is supposed to bring together people who like music of ALL types. Not just heavy metal. I'll admit the outside of our store can be intimidating to new customers, but we are not going to harm you in any way (chuckles). I promise. We have people of all ages and tastes come in here and transform into loyal consumers. Even ladies dressed from Yoga class like you". Although mildly offending my appearance (ugh), Christian basically stalked me throughout the store. Not even the disorganized sale section with piles of overpriced imported goods could shield me from his "customer service". I ventured on over to the accessories counter which looked like a damn jewelry vault with glass cases around five dollar pieces of "leather" with studs. Among a suburban-looking mother-daughter duo, I couldn't help but overhear the little girl obnoxiously protesting over a choker. "Honey, I will not allow you to wear a spiked choker! Kids will make fun of you! Let's go to Claire's and find a girly necklace. Come on Chloe". I stopped to ask the middle-aged mother about Hot Topic and she irritatedly retorted, "this f***** up store is stealing my money and I will not have it anymore. The last thing I need is for my precious daughter to turn into a freak". The salty mother then viciously sped off lugging her JCPenny bags. After this interaction, I couldn't help but wonder how this shop acquired this status. Born in a Southern California garage, Hot Topic was founded in 1989 as a chain retail store specializing in alternative culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music products which account for 40% of sales. The goods sold are primarily related to the punk/heavy metal genre, thus producing the store a reputation for "unusual" products based on the norms of society. These norms state to fear death, corpses, blood, and gruesome scenes. However, this crowd chooses to embrace this bold lifestyle. Hot Topic boosts on their web page, "We were labeled punks, geeks, weirdos, goths, rockers-and we didn't care. It was our passion for music and pop culture that mattered". This proud attitude represents the metal counter-culture who simply does not care what society thinks about them. Freedom of expression fuels their passion to be unique. Skulls, collars, crucifixes, body jewelry, and spikes all conveniently found in the loudest store at your local mall now. Who needs a front door when you can have gates? The sarcasm in that question is overwhelming. The general atmosphere of the store with the gothic gates at the entrance, fading brick walls, poor lighting, and demon gargoyles sends creepy vibes to outsiders. Hot Topic has sponsored Pitchfork Music Festival, Ozzfest, and the Black Veil Brides Tour. In 1996, Hot Topic became a publicly-traded company on NASDAQ and surprisingly has over 600 stores across the United States (Daily Dot, "Hot Topic 25th Anniversary"). Although Hot Topic having necessary employee piercing sessions and vampire managers may just be rumors, instances of irate protesters waving bibles outside the store has happened. A select group of individuals claim to have a positive experience with Hot Topic and found merchandise which goes beyond the stereotype of goth. Natasha M., a Yelp user who has posted over 200 reviews boasts, "I love it here! They have basically everything read more