Nationwide fireworks sales on pace for record-breaking year
(CBS DETROIT) - The American Pyrotechnics Association, or APA, is reporting fireworks sales at an all-time high, with numbers breaking consumer sales records of $2.3 billion in 2022.
Millions of fireworks shops across the country are preparing for their biggest holiday of the year, including Pyro Joe's Fireworks in Richmond.
"It's got to strike you in a way," says co-owner Mike Trautman when talking about what fireworks may be the best fit.
His family owns the shop, and while the APA is projecting firework sales to keep increasing, Mike's wife and co-owner Mary-Ellen, says nothing will quite compare to the boom of sales following the pandemic.
"The last two years, there's been extra money, and now things are a little tighter. Now people are sticking to their budget," Mary-Ellen says.
While some may have that tighter budget, it was a packed house the day before the Fourth of July.
Trautman says he believes the demand for fireworks in the state of Michigan is high, especially with the continued growth he's seen in sales at other points in the year where traditionally, that hadn't been the case.
"Sales are up every little holiday. There's more and more sales every holiday. New Year's Eve has now become a big holiday for fireworks where it wasn't in 2012, and you watch it go up every year," Mike said.
