By Mike Rutledge
NKyTribune contributor
Dozens of vehicles now occupy the Florence parking lot of Phantom Fireworks and cash registers are totaling hundreds of dollars per customer as buyers stock up for their Independence Day celebrations.
Profits are good for the store, which takes in the majority of its money around the July 4 holiday, although it still sells some for birthday parties and weddings during other seasons, the store’s manager says. The city of Florence, which was glad to rid itself of seasonal fireworks operations in recent years, has had no problems with Phantom’s permanent showroom.
“Phantom has been a great business operator in the city of Florence,” says Joshua Wice, the city’s director of business and community development. He adds that unlike the temporary fireworks stands that used to appear on U.S. 42, Mall Road and Burlington Pike for years, Phantom has caused no problems.
Phantom, located in the site previously occupied by a Circuit City store at the southwest end of Mall Road, is the only company in Florence allowed to sell the most sought-after kinds of fireworks.
Other retailers could do so if they would occupy a year-round facility that sells fireworks as its main course of business. They would also be required to meet zoning and other regulations, such as the building standards in Kentucky laws that reflect Kentucky’s amendments to the National Fire Protection Association’s regulations for such companies.
Gone from the city are the temporary businesses that used to appear seasonally that Wice says exhibited lesser professionalism and legal requirements, such as the need to obtain city permits, and would sometimes operate through the night.
“We want our customers to be safe – you’re only having fun when you’re being safe,” says Phantom Manager Jerad LeBretton, who has sold fireworks for Phantom since 1997, starting in Lawrenceburg.
“I’ve been in this business a long time, and I know there have been competitors who aren’t as concerned with the public safety as much as others,” LeBretton said. The Florence store opened before the summer of 2012, soon after Kentucky lawmakers made it legal to sell the more heavy-duty fireworks, such as the rockets, roman candles and assorted boomers that fill the shelves of Phantom’s Mall Road store.
Brightly colored canisters bearing names like “Wizard of Ahhs,” “Mega Mojo,” and “Bada Bing! Bada Boom,” were being stacked in shopping carts by customers – mostly men looking forward to creating some noise for their families and neighborhoods over the weekend.
Also moving was the biggest-ticket package, “Grounds for Divorce,” which sells for $750 – it’s marked at $1,499.99, but store policies for such large-pricetag items offer them either half price or two-for-one.
“We take Kentucky as a good fireworks state,” says William Weimer, VP and general counsel for Youngstown-based BJ Alan Company, which operates Phantom. The company has another store in South Louisville, as well as in Indiana and other out-of-state locations that serve Kentuckians.
The company this year opened six more stores, including its 73rd, 74th and 75th showrooms, in the Greater Atlanta area. It passes out safety pamphlets and leaflets in its stores, and also has safety information on its website, www.fireworks.com .
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that last year, about 10,500 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide with fireworks-related injuries. Sixty-seven percent of injuries during the year happened between June 20 and July 20, with 35 percent of injuries happening to children under age 15. More than half of the injuries were burns.
Here are some of the many safety tips from Phantom Fireworks and the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
*Don’t let young children play with fireworks. Even sparklers, which many adults consider “safe,” burn at very high temperatures. Running with sparklers is a very bad idea.
*Don’t use alcohol and fireworks.
*Set off fireworks on a level, clear area far from buildings or structures.
*Never use fireworks indoors.
*Never smoke when handling fireworks.
*Have a fire extinguisher, water supply, hose or water bucket nearby.
*Use a flashlight (not a lantern or other flame-producing device) at night so you can see the fuse.
*Don’t use malfunctioning items. For example, don’t try to re-light, alter or fix “duds.”
*Never hold a lighted firework in your hand.
*Safety glasses are recommended.
*Remember that fireworks frighten animals.