As the New Year’s holiday approaches, business at the fireworks tent managed by Preston Fletcher, Austin Pearson and Alex Tanksley has been going well, to say the least.
The three have been selling fireworks out of their tent along Mississippi 7 North, just outside the Greenwood city limits, for about a week and will continue to do so on New Year’s Eve.
“Things are going good,” Tanksley said.
All kinds of fireworks have been sold so far, including big-ticket items priced in the three-figure range. These include the Boomtown, which includes 63 shots of fireworks, and the Megawatt, which includes 205.
The three Megawatts that were in stock there have all sold out, Pearson said.
Tanksley and Pearson have attributed the strong sales to the lack of recreational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’d say more people have been less active since COVID started,” Pearson said. He added that the Greenwood area is not as populated as the Jackson area, where there are more activities.
The Fourth of July holiday went well for the three. The sales then were “the best we ever had,” Tanksley said.
Pearson suggested that the stimulus checks sent out as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act earlier this year may have helped increase the sales over the summer.
“You go crazy sitting inside the home,” Pearson added.
Fireworks are illegal in the city of Greenwood but legal elsewhere in Leflore County. Users also are advised to be mindful of pets since loud noises can frighten them.
• Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
