When you think of Starcourt Mall in Stranger Things, it feels like the heartbeat of Season 3 – buzzing with neon lights, echoing footsteps, and the tantalising aroma of 1980s food courts. But the magic didn’t appear out of thin air; it was painstakingly constructed at Gwinnett Place Mall, a real-life location near Duluth, Georgia.
Filming for Season 3 kicked off on April 23, 2018, with multiple locations across Georgia, yet Gwinnett Place quickly became the show’s crown jewel. The production team scoured the region for a “dead mall” – a space that retained the authentic architecture and spatial layout of the 1980s – and Gwinnett Place fit the bill perfectly. Built in 1984, its corridors, store fronts, and skylights carried the nostalgic charm the Duffers wanted for their homage to the era.
Transforming the mostly empty mall into Starcourt required meticulous attention to detail. Vacant spaces were converted into bustling storefronts, food courts were populated with era-appropriate brands, and every corner was curated to reflect what Indiana shoppers might have seen in 1985. The design team even considered the plausibility of specific store placements – every neon sign, logo, and display shelf was chosen to transport viewers convincingly into Hawkins’ nostalgic world.
By the time the cameras rolled, Starcourt Mall had become a living, breathing character within Stranger Things, encapsulating the excitement, energy, and cultural touchstones of the mid-1980s.
It wasn’t just about finding the right location – the creation of Starcourt required inventive solutions to narrative and logistical challenges. Take Scoops Ahoy, the ice cream shop where Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley steal the scene. While filming, the production team needed a photo studio for Eleven and Max’s playful shoot, intending to reference the popular Glamour Shots brand. However, Glamour Shots hadn’t yet made its way into malls by 1985, so the solution was simple yet brilliant: invent a fictitious brand that retained the visual and cultural impact without breaking historical plausibility.
Beyond fictional storefronts, every element of the set was fully stocked, anticipating last-minute filming needs and ensuring the actors could interact authentically with their environment. Shelves were laden with period-accurate merchandise, signage glowed with neon authenticity, and the food court reflected the textures and smells of the decade – from Sbarro pizza stands to snack-filled candy kiosks. Fans watching on screen were treated to a level of immersion rarely achieved in television.
The Duffer Brothers’ vision for Starcourt was a collaborative ballet of design, logistics, and storytelling. Every costume, prop, and poster reflected a dedication to accuracy, demonstrating that nostalgia in Stranger Things isn’t superficial; it’s carefully engineered to enhance narrative depth.
Filming inside a mall presents obvious challenges, especially when trying to transform a bright, daytime setting into the moody, suspenseful nights typical of Stranger Things. The production team overcame this by employing a custom-built grid cloth system to block out sunlight and control lighting for night scenes, ensuring the food court maintained its atmospheric glow without revealing the real-world constraints of the location.
This ingenuity was critical for scenes featuring Eleven and her friends navigating threats in the mall, balancing the excitement of the plot with the visual authenticity of 1980s shopping culture. Each shot captured the bustling energy of a functioning mall while maintaining the eerie tension that makes Hawkins feel like a world teetering between normality and the supernatural.
Starcourt Mall, thanks to Gwinnett Place, became more than a backdrop; it was a narrative device. The wide-open atriums allowed for sweeping shots of characters darting from one encounter to the next, while intimate corners of the mall offered tension-filled hideaways for suspenseful confrontations. Fans and critics alike have praised this attention to cinematic detail, which elevates the mall from a set piece to a character in its own right.
As Season 5 approaches, the legacy of Gwinnett Place Mall endures. The meticulous recreation of Starcourt stands as a testament to the dedication of the design team and the Duffer Brothers’ commitment to authenticity. For fans, visiting the real-world location is a chance to step into the Upside Down’s mirror – a space where the ordinary and extraordinary intersect, reminding us why Stranger Things has become a cultural touchstone for both nostalgia and storytelling excellence.
Gwinnett Place Mall, through the lens of Stranger Things, shows the artistry behind constructing believable worlds that resonate with viewers. From creating fictional stores like Scoops Ahoy to innovating lighting solutions for night shoots, the production demonstrates the lengths television can go to make a setting feel both familiar and extraordinary. As fans count down to November 2025, the mall serves as a symbol of the care, creativity, and immersive nostalgia that define the series.
Starcourt Mall isn’t just a location; it’s a portal to a time, a feeling, and a story. Through the combined efforts of location scouts, set designers, prop masters, and the Duffer Brothers themselves, Hawkins’ beloved mall becomes a vibrant emblem of the 1980s, blending adventure, nostalgia, and supernatural tension. For anyone seeking the perfect intersection of cultural homage and suspenseful storytelling, Gwinnett Place Mall’s transformation into Starcourt offers a masterclass in television production that will inspire fans for years to come.
