'Stranger Things' fans bring cameras, wallets to Georgia
PALMETTO, Ga. — Soon after Netflix released “Stranger Things,” fans of all ages came into Bradley’s Big Buy grocery store in Palmetto, Georgia, dressed like characters from the show, and wandered toward the Eggo waffles aisle, cameras in hand.
They sought out the exact spot where “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown filmed a scene as the character Eleven, and they’re still coming three years later, even after the store changed its name and became part of the Piggly Wiggly franchise.
Palmetto is a town of barely 5,000 people about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta where the grocery store cashiers greet customers by name. But after “Stranger Things” premiered in 2016, it became routine for employees to also welcome fans from around the globe. Fans have visited daily since the store reappeared in the third season on July 4, said Piggly Wiggly manager David Johnston.
“You can spot them in the crowd when they come in here,” Johnston said. “The girl the other day was dressed like Eleven, all the way to the blood running down her nose.”
Eleven is a main character of the series known for her mysterious mind powers and the subtle nosebleed she gets after activating those powers.
The nostalgic ’80s sci-fi series is set in fictional Hawkins, Ind., but filmed in Georgia, which offers tax breaks and other incentives to moviemakers.
A building on Emory University’s Briarcliff Campus in Atlanta served as the show’s Hawkins Laboratory, where all sorts of suspicious activity occur. In Duluth, crew transformed a vacant wing and food court in Gwinnett Place Mall into Starcourt Mall, a bustling hangout where much of the third season takes place.
Johnston said he’s happy to give quick tours of Piggly Wiggly and explain where fictional events took place.
Businesses in Jackson are also benefiting from new customers in town. Throughout the series, downtown Jackson was portrayed as the town of Hawkins, where key characters played by Winona Ryder and Sean Astin worked.
Lucy Lu’s Coffee Cafe opened downtown in 2017, about a year after the first season’s release. Within months, the cafe had created a “Stranger Drinks” menu. Popular beverages include the Sheriff Hopper, a hazelnut and vanilla coffee drink, and the Demogorgon, a frappe with blood-red food coloring.
