Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Stranger Things 5 features hat from one small Alabama town
Reading time: 3 minutes
Last night, I watched Stranger Things season five volume two—along with a vast majority of the country, if I could assume. Aside from the regular Demogorgon fights and scenes in the Upside Down, one thing caught my eye: an Ace Hardware hat from Heflin, Alabama, atop character Jim Hopper’s head.
Looks like I wasn’t the only one curious, because the City of Heflin released a history of the hat featured in Stranger Things season five.
Heflin, Alabama hat shown in Stranger Things 5 teaser at minute 1:53. (Netflix on YouTube)
Stranger Things features Heflin, Alabama hat in recent episode
One of Heflin, Alabama’s beloved family-owned businesses, Atkins and Owens / J. A. Owens & Company / Owens Ace Hardware, burned down in 1988. Some items were salvaged after remodeling was done, and the family was still left with beautiful memories.
When the teaser trailer for Stranger Things 5 came out in July, Suzanne Owens Payne took to Facebook to share a little of the family business’s history.
According to Payne, the J.A. Owens Ace Hardware hat that Hopper dons in season five was given away a few decades ago for advertsiting purpose.
“Imagine how shocked I was this week to see a guy wearing one of the caps my Dad gave away for advertising purposes decades ago! This guy was advertising HIS television show! Shocked, but pleased because it shows that people will remember that establishment…and remember Thomas Yates Owens”
Suzanne Owens Payne on Facebook
The history of Heflin, Alabama
(City of Heflin)
Heflin was established in 1882 as a railroad station stop from Atlanta, and officially incorporated on December 10, 1886.
Most of its early residents were merchants who opened their businesses along Ross Street and lived in homes along side streets, as the town and the population grew—one being Atkins and Owens which opened in 1889.
Though the business closed in 1988 after a fire, it was still a century-old family-run business, and it’s legacy lives on—even all the way to our TV screens!
“On the most recent episode of Stranger Things, fans were quick to spot something familiar: a vintage Atkins & Owens / J.A. Owens & Company hat—yes, the very same kind that was given away decades ago by one Heflin’s most beloved hardware stores!
For those who grew up in Heflin, this isn’t just a hat—it’s a piece of our story. A symbol of a family business that served this community with heart and hard work until the fire in 1988. While the store is gone, the memories—and clearly, the legacy—live on.
And this week, thanks to a surprise appearance on one of the world’s biggest shows… that legacy found a brand-new audience.”
City of Heflin on Facebook
More Alabama nods in Stranger Things:
- Catch this Birmingham-area 13-year-old in Stranger Things 5
- Birmingham actress in Stranger Things season 5 + lead in local play
Did you catch this little Alabama town shoutout on Stranger Things 5? Tag us @thebamabuzz and let us know!
