New visitors to Ukraine may be surprised by the ubiquitousness of Hot Topic stores (more so in Kyiv than L’viv it seems to me). With at least one, sometimes several, on every street, novice travelers might easily conclude the American retail chain specializing in music and punk/rock culture-related clothing and accessories has a strangle hold on the Ukrainian market.

But wait! Upon closer inspection, travelers semi-competent with Cyrillic letters may realize the signs are actually “Нотаріус” (No-ta-ree-us) which is Ukrainian for notary. Sorry, novelty T-shirt lovers. The abundance of notaries speaks to one of the most popular, activities of Ukrainians: getting things stamped.