MARSHALLS CREEK, Pa. — Roman candles filled Carly Smith's arms as she shopped inside The Fireworks Outlet at Odd-lot in Smithfield Township, near Marshalls Creek.
Smith was on a trip for Father's Day and stopped by the store to purchase fireworks ahead of the 4th of July holiday.
Their something she says isn't just fun but a staple at her family celebration back home in North Carolina.
"Probably the pop, the pop, and then all the kids running around, getting excited. More of that, you know, then you celebrate the day after and the day after that, and you just keep going until they run out," Smith said.
Ken Schuchman is the owner of the fireworks store.
He says 2020 and 2021 were two of the biggest years in the firework industry in the country.
Both those years brought challenges with shortages and inflation.
"It was hard for all of our customers at the fireworks outlet. We did have to raise prices. We had cost increases on the product. We had quadruple freight increases but thank god, We've been able to get that back under control, said Schuchman.
If you plan to celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks this year, the owner says you can expect lower prices and an abundance of inventory.
"There's really nothing hard to come by this year," Schuchman said. "There was a lot of product in the United States. We have even been able to, because of some of the shipping cost decreases able to lower the price of a lot of our products and pass that along to the consumer so they can get, pardon the expression, more bang for their buck."
As far as 2023 goes, Schuchman says the demand for fireworks is still high, but now the supply has finally caught up.
"We're back to the new normal. We're going to have a great year," said Schuchman. "It's going to be a huge 4-day weekend for a lot of people, and costs have come down, so people are going to be able to celebrate."
While Schuchman says he doesn't expect to sell out at any of his three locations, he does advise you to shop early to get exactly what you want.
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