Blasting Frustrations Away! Lockdown sent fireworks sales booming
TEXARKANA, Ark. — While COVID-19 may have put damper on many businesses this past year, it sent local fireworks sales skyrocketing according to one of the area’s main vendors.
Rather then suppressing sales transactions, Stateline Fireworks proprietor Ken Carpenter said the virus actually made his business boom.
“During the early part of 2020, we weren’t really sure what was going to happen,” Carpenter, who first opened his fireworks outlet in 1973, said. “But we were all surprised when COVID-19 basically gave us the best fireworks sales we have ever had in 47 years of business.”
As last year’s Fourth of July drew closer, residents from near and far came to Carpenter’s business, which is both a wholesale and retail outlet located in the 3100 block of East Ninth Street, to buy bottle rockets, sky rockets, missiles, ground spinners, Roman candles, sparklers and assorted other products.
Carpenter attributed the high sales to the possible need people may have had to just want to escape the confines of being isolated and self-quarantined at home in an effort to prevent the virus’ spread.
“I think people just wanted to get out of their homes and escape the feeling of being shut in and closed off for such a long time,” he said. “They just wanted to get back out and celebrate and be free to associate.”
Carpenter hstarted in the business just as he finished college in 1973. That’s when he decided to work at a local fireworks vending stand in the summer during the holiday. This experience led him to set up his own fireworks stand and he eventually started operating his own wholesale and retail outlet.
“The business can be kind of tricky, since it’s only centered on just two holidays during the whole year,” he said. “There’s a tight, limited time to sell products. But for this year, I think I have an adequate supply for now.”