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Fireworks sales booming in Clark County

Mild weather, last year of use in Vancouver expected to boost business

By Brooks Johnson, Columbian Business Reporter
Published: July 3, 2016, 6:03am
3 Photos
Customers file through the checkout at Blackjack Fireworks in Vancouver on Tuesday. Fireworks sales are expected to increase in the Northwest this year after leaving last year&#039;s hot and dry conditions behind.
Customers file through the checkout at Blackjack Fireworks in Vancouver on Tuesday. Fireworks sales are expected to increase in the Northwest this year after leaving last year's hot and dry conditions behind. (Ariane Kunze/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Forget about those dazzling displays and safety concerns for a second. The real power of fireworks is burning holes in American wallets.

In 2015, Americans spent more than $1 billion on fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association, a 65 percent increase since the turn of the century. That counts both consumer fireworks, which dominate the market, and those used for professional shows.

“Business is booming, and as long as Mother Nature cooperates, we think we’re going to have another record year,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the association. “Industry revenues continue to climb year after year. A lot of that is related to the relaxation of consumer firework laws (around the country).”

Per capita, every U.S. household spent $8 on fireworks last year. Heckman estimates that counting just those households that buy fireworks, the average spent per family is around $100.

Fireworks discharge days, times

State law allowed for fireworks use starting June 28: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. to July 3; 9 a.m. to midnight July 4; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 5. Locally, what’s allowed varies substantially.

In unincorporated areas of Clark County, discharge times are abridged depending on where in the county the celebrations are. The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office said every fireworks stand in the unincorporated county will have a map showing the discharge area regulations.

 Unincorporated Clark County, north of 219th Street: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3; 9 a.m. to midnight July 4.

 Unincorporated Clark County, south of 219th Street, including Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek: 9 a.m. to midnight July 4.

 Battle Ground: No additional restrictions.

 Camas: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3, 9 a.m. to midnight July 4.

 La Center: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 3; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 4.

 Ridgefield: Keeps with state law, save that fireworks use is limited from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 5.

 Vancouver: 9 a.m. to midnight July 4.

 Washougal: 9 a.m. to midnight July 4.

 Yacolt: No additional restrictions.

“But it’s not unusual to see a family go in and spend several thousand,” she said, which last year added up to $755 million in consumer fireworks revenue drawn almost entirely over the Fourth of July.

It was a different story in the Northwest, where the summer of 2015 was marked by tinder-dry grass and forests and withering heat.

“Our sales probably would have grown last year had it not been for the record-breaking heat,” said Gene Marlow, owner of Mean Gene Fireworks. “Last year was an up year for everybody in the country except the Northwest.”

This year’s weather is expected to be close to normal, or at least not sweltering and dry, which along with a three-day weekend should help local sales.

“It’s pretty early to tell, starting on a Tuesday when people are still working,” Marlow said last week. “We’re expecting a good year because the weather is cooperating.”

The Vancouver City Council has banned sales and use of personal fireworks after this season. That leaves the possibility for some explosive sales this year.

“Maybe they want to go out with a bang,” Marlow said.

If behavior in places that have long banned fireworks is any indication, the Vancouver sales and use ban that goes into effect in October won’t end personal fireworks use in city limits. But violators could be cited.

For law-abiding citizens who crave the smell of gunpowder and the sights of all those shiny spiders in the sky, there are still professional shows.

“I think people are becoming more and more inclined to go to the public displays,” said Heather Gobet, owner of Western Display Fireworks in Canby, Ore. “Even if they do consumer fireworks at home they tend to culminate their evening with a Fourth of July fireworks display.”

Such displays around the country accounted for $340 million in revenue last year, based mostly around the Fourth of July but also at festivals and sporting events.

Western Display, which has been around since 1948, is considered the largest professional fireworks producer in the Northwest, and it handles the annual show at Fort Vancouver.

“Our business is growing steadily,” said Gobet, a fourth-generation owner of the family business. “We do virtually all the large displays throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho.”

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Since 2000, display fireworks revenues have grown at roughly the same 65 percent clip as personal fireworks, though that growth has slowed since the recession.

“It’s grown steadily but definitely is not the cash cow like the consumer side,” said Heckman at the pyrotechnics association. And even though the overall weight of display fireworks being used has fallen, she said there will be 2,000 more Independence Day shows this year.

The irony of fireworks is that most of the money Americans spend on their Independence Day arsenal goes to China. But while 99 percent of personal fireworks will come from China, just 75 percent of the top-notch displays will be Chinese.

“We carry products from, of course, China, but also Spain, Australia, France and this last year had an opportunity to attend an international symposium on fireworks in Bordeaux, France,” Gobet said. “Fireworks is definitely an international endeavor now.”

At Fort Vancouver, Western Display will unveil some new Spanish fireworks it picked up through its international connections. But in years to come, the city’s signature show has been thrown into question, since personal fireworks sales in Vancouver went a long way in paying for the display.

“In most locations, as consumer fireworks laws get more restrictive then people get more supportive of public displays,” Gobet said. “Fort Vancouver is interesting in that regard; they’ve had a relationship with consumer sales. They’ll have to find other revenue sources to support the display.”

Marlow said that around the country, laws are getting relaxed, which is what the pyrotechnics association cites as a reason for the past decade’s sales hike.

“We’re the odd duck compared to the rest of the country,” Marlow said. “A lot of places are opening up, and we’re going the exact opposite direction.”

That, he said, could affect how much money comes into the local economy this time of year. Much of that revenue comes from Oregon, where fireworks laws are stricter.

“Over here we’re worried about people going to Oregon to save on tax,” Marlow said. “There’s nothing that brings Oregon dollars over here like fireworks sales. I’m looking in my lot right now, and every single vehicle has an Oregon license plate.”

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