ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – With the Fourth of July right around the corner and social distancing still a major concern, many counties have canceled or postponed their firework shows.
As a result, firework sales are jumping.
Candice Bryant, general manager of Phantom Fireworks off County Road 210, told News4Jax the store has seen a climb in sales over the last week. She said the store has been busier than they anticipated with families putting on their own shows due to the coronavirus.
“St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and stuff, they’ve decided not to do their public fireworks show, so a lot of people, they’ve been cooped up inside, so they want to do their own show,” Bryant said.
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Aaron Lundy and his family walked the aisles of Phantom Fireworks Monday afternoon, looking for the perfect fireworks display. With full carts, they were ready for a bigger and better Fourth of July at home.
“Definitely a lot bigger this year,” Lundy said.
Tony Fiano, who lives in St. Johns County, wants to make sure the holiday still spreads joy despite these trying times.
“It’s one of those things where we do this every year, and it creates memories, and we would hate for COVID-19 to affect that,” Fiano said.
And with the increase in sales, the store is doing its best to keep the shelves full.
“Due to the coronavirus, we’ve had delays on our shipments, so everything’s coming in very last minute,” Bryant said. “We’re trying to keep up with the shipments and keep up with the stocking.”
St. Augustine has postponed its Fourth of July display. No date to hold the fireworks has been announced.