Fireworks stores open with a bang

Stephen Pelkey, owner of Atlas Fireworks, opens the first
box of product Friday afternoon at his new store, which
 opened Saturday morning at 374 Route 1 in Scarborough.

SCARBOROUGH — In addition to boasting the largest fireworks showroom in the state, Scarborough is now the only municipality with two such stores, with both reporting strong sales on their opening days this week.

“We opened Monday at midday, and had customers the second we unlocked the door,” said Jarred Falls, manager of Phantom Fireworks, at the Gateway Shoppes on Payne Road, near Cabela’s.

Meanwhile, Atlas Fireworks, located at 374 Route 1, next to the Big 20 bowling alley, received its final permit approval from the town, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office Friday afternoon. Employees of the company’s six New Hampshire shops worked through the night to stock shelves for a Saturday opening.

“We opened at 9 a.m. and had a dozen cars waiting in the parking lot,” said Atlas owner Stephen Pelkey. “It remained steady like that throughout the day. I believe it certainly exceed everything we anticipated.”

Neither store would put an estimate on opening day sales, although Atlas reported an average sale of “about $150.” Despite some significant opposition to the sale and use of fireworks in Scarborough, extending from rank-and-file residents all the way up though the Town Council, neither store saw any protest or complaints during their first few days of operating.

“Mostly what I heard was a sense of relief from people, who were thankful that they didn’t have to go to New Hampshire anymore, who felt like they had been ‘sneaking around’ before,” said Pelkey.

Most of his customers seemed to come from within a 40-mile range of Scarborough, with many traveling from Biddeford – where Pelkey said he initially planned to locate until fireworks were banned there – to the Sebago Lake region.

Since the sale and use of consumer fireworks became legal in Maine Jan. 1, five fireworks stores have opened, in Manchester, Edgecomb, Winslow, Monmouth and South Paris, with showrooms ranging from 600 to 5,500 square feet. Phantom’s store measures 8,000 square feet, including 6,500 square feet of display space. Atlas’ space is 3,300 square feet.

Pelkey said his company sees 60 percent of its annual retail sales in the two weeks before Independence Day. He plans to hire 12-15 employees for the retail store, and another 40-60 for the seasonal display shows the company stages throughout New England. At Ohio-based Phantom, Falls says he plans to hire up to 30 people initially, when he expects to go through a 73-foot tractor trailer truck of product per day. Both expect staffing to dwindling to perhaps six to eight clerks during the slow season.

Although Scarborough allows sale of fireworks, it did take advantage of a local option in the new law to limit use to five days per year – – Dec. 31, Jan. 1, and July 3-5. Following the lead of many of Maine’s larger communities, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth have both outlawed sale and use of consumer fireworks within their borders.

Both Pelkey and Falls say their employees have been careful to educate customers both on the responsible use of consumer fireworks and any local restrictions. Both keep a state-provided list of about 30 communities where fireworks use has been banned, or curtailed.

“It just not good business for us if our customers get hurt, or arrested,” said Pelkey.

Shortly after consumer fireworks were legalized, Alabama-based TNT Fireworks expressed interest in a Scarborough location. No one was available from code enforcement Tuesday, while department secretary Carol Logan declined to say if TNT or any other company has filed paperwork to open a third store.