With its culture-heavy strategy, teen retailer Hot Topic has sizzled during the downturn. Can it stay hot?
John Kirkpatrick is a lucky guy. "My teenage daughter and 10-year-old son think I have the coolest job," he says. As chief music officer of the retailer Hot Topic, Kirkpatrick has the onerous responsibility of bringing in emerging bands to rock out on the in-house stage at the company's City of Industry, California, headquarters. On his desk, CDs pile into precarious towers -- he gets more than 100 a month -- amid dueling Transformers action figures. Graffiti and hundreds of music posters fill the walls. All of this, he can say with a straight face, is work: "We're basically cultivating a kingdom of fandom."
Lately, swarms of teens and tweens have entered the kingdom thanks to smart bets made on music and film by Hot Topic, which sells everything from apparel and accessories to CDs and posters.
John Kirkpatrick is a lucky guy. "My teenage daughter and 10-year-old son think I have the coolest job," he says. As chief music officer of the retailer Hot Topic, Kirkpatrick has the onerous responsibility of bringing in emerging bands to rock out on the in-house stage at the company's City of Industry, California, headquarters. On his desk, CDs pile into precarious towers -- he gets more than 100 a month -- amid dueling Transformers action figures. Graffiti and hundreds of music posters fill the walls. All of this, he can say with a straight face, is work: "We're basically cultivating a kingdom of fandom."
Lately, swarms of teens and tweens have entered the kingdom thanks to smart bets made on music and film by Hot Topic, which sells everything from apparel and accessories to CDs and posters.
- 9/1/2009
- by Kate Rockwood
- Fast Company
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