JACKSON, Ga. — "Welcome to Hawkins, dude."
That is what you hear as soon as you walk into the Hawkins Headquarters in Jackon.
The town of Hawkins, Indiana is actually Jackson, Georgia and fans have flocked to the city since the Netflix show gained popularity.
However, as strikes in the film and television industry continue, Hawkins Headquarters has become a haven for "Stranger Things" fans as they wait to see how it all ends.
"Of course, the question we get every other day is, you know, 'When is season five going to start,'" Jackson Mayor Carlos Duffy said.
The shop has welcomed visitors from across the world and holds tours for guests to see where their favorite "Stranger Things" moments were filmed.
Hawkins Headquarters is not just a fan's dream but it's also a love letter to the 80s.
In the store, there is a working payphone, VHS players, a playable Atari and many other pieces of 80s memorabilia. They also have costumes from the show and other 80s classics so you can dress up as your favorite characters.
Duffy says the show filming in Jackson helps the economy when people flock to the town for a chance to see their favorite actor in action or to walk in the footsteps of beloved characters.
"Once the filming starts and they're back on-location filming. Of course, that's going to draw big crowds, because everybody wants to see what's going on. So that particular impact with our local restaurants, our local shops, again, are bringing in economy," he said.
Duffy says Jackson sees several hundred national and international tourists per month. He says the economic impact can be felt on a weekly and daily basis.
"You have to stay positive about it because it's going to come back," Hawkins Headquarters manager Liz Bowman said.
Bowman is a tour guide and a special effects artist. She loves her job at the store but she has a chance to work on season five of Stranger Things when filming resumes.
She says talking about her favorite show with other fans makes her job in Jackson special.
"I love interacting with fans. I love being a part of the joy someone gets whenever they come here for the first time," she said. "Cause for a lot of people it's overwhelming because they are so connected to some of these fictional characters."
She says people have cried on tour from getting to walk in the same places as the character Steve Harrington or just get excited to see with their own eyes all the memorable moments from the show.
Bowman says these moments and the store are important because of the connection visitors have to the show and with other fans.
"People can just like be themselves here. They can be nerdy. they can be a fan, especially if you have somebody who they're the only person who watches it in their family, in their fan group. They can just come in here and just pretend for a little bit that they are not in the outside world, that they are in the 80s."