Home » News » Business
July 03. 2012 11:22PM
Duxbury, Mass. residents Ben Caliendo, 15, and his father Phil Caliendo filled their shopping cart with goodies shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday morning at Phantom Fireworks. (APRIL GUILMET/Union Leader Correspondent)
Londonderry fireworks stores record plenty of pre-holiday sales
Duxbury, Mass. residents Ben Caliendo, 15, and his father Phil Caliendo filled their shopping cart with goodies shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday morning at Phantom Fireworks. (APRIL GUILMET/Union Leader Correspondent)
LONDONDERRY — Despite stormy predictions for this week's holiday, business is booming at Londonderry's fireworks stores.
While the town doesn't host a public fireworks display on the Fourth, Londonderry has still gained the reputation as the fireworks capital of New England. Four stores are located within town limits: Phantom Fireworks and Alamo Fireworks on Londonderry Road, TNT Fireworks on Nashua Road and Atlas Fireworks on Commercial Lane, located off Rockingham Road.
On Tuesday, most of the local fireworks stores opened at 8 a.m. and remained open until midnight or later.
Mark Barrett rose before dawn on Tuesday, eager to arrive at the Londonderry Phantom Fireworks store shortly after its 8 a.m. opening.
Barrett, whose son-in-law recently returned from an Army deployment in the Middle East, travels to the Granite State to buy fireworks several times per year.
The Rhode Island resident said he plans ahead for each trip, going onto the store's website to check out their latest wares and print out coupons.
Early Tuesday morning, when many folks were still asleep, he eagerly filled his shopping cart with rockets, Roman candles and sparklers and was happy to learn the store was offering a buy-one-get-one-free special in honor of the holiday.
“I definitely do my research as I enjoy (fireworks) all year long,” said Barrett. “I really like to set them off at Christmastime, when there's snow on the ground. But the Fourth is pretty big at our house too.”
In the next aisle, Duxbury, Mass., resident Phil Caliendo checked out the latest offerings with his son, Ben, 15, and family friend James Guimetti, 14.
Like Barrett, Caliendo makes the trip to Londonderry several times a year, with fireworks like the “New York Salute” and “The Bomb” among his favorite items.
“Oh yeah, that's a good one,” Ben said to his father as he pushed a second shopping cart.
With several gatherings to attend in Rhode Island on Wednesday, the family doesn't like to arrive empty-handed.
“I like to spread it out and do several fireworks shows,” Phil Caliendo said.
Phantom Fireworks Store Manager Mary McClusky said that so far the week as proven a hectic one, much to her delight.
“We go from having five employees in the store to 40 this week,” said McClusky.
All serious overtime hours aside, McClusky said July remains one of her favorite months.
“People just walk in here with a glaze over their eyes and they leave with a smile on their face,” she said. “It's a fun business to be in. Some guys come in here and tell me they feel like a kid in a candy store.”
Among the store's most popular items are the reloadable fireworks, which were legalized in New Hampshire last year. McClusky said store employees are trained to educate each customer on using the reloadables and all other fireworks, in a safe manner.
“Of course, everybody loves their sparklers,” Assistant Manager Mary Ann Collins said, noting that she steers families with younger children towards the Morning Glory line of sparklers, since their wooden sticks don't tend to heat up.
Down the street, Alamo Fireworks manager Chris Kivlin said he's having trouble keeping items on his shelves this week. Fortunately, many of his regular customers seem to have shopped early this year.
“We had a huge shipment come in two weeks ago and things are going fast,” said Kivlin. “I see a lot of the same customers coming back here, year after year.”
According to Londonderry Fire Marshal Brian Johnson, the state has legalized a number of additional fireworks in New Hampshire this year, though firecrackers, bottle rockets and M80s remain illegal.
Local residents wishing to host a private fireworks display with over $500 worth of fireworks need to obtain a permit prior to the day of their display, noted Johnson, who urged citizens to exercise common sense when setting off fireworks at home.
“It is the homeowner's responsibility to exercise due care and discharge fireworks only in accordance to the manufacturer's operating instructions,” Johnson added. “Even if all safety precautions are followed, the discharge of fireworks can be unpredictable. ... You should always use extreme caution when igniting them.”
April Guilmet may be reached at AGuilmet@newstote.com.
While the town doesn't host a public fireworks display on the Fourth, Londonderry has still gained the reputation as the fireworks capital of New England. Four stores are located within town limits: Phantom Fireworks and Alamo Fireworks on Londonderry Road, TNT Fireworks on Nashua Road and Atlas Fireworks on Commercial Lane, located off Rockingham Road.
On Tuesday, most of the local fireworks stores opened at 8 a.m. and remained open until midnight or later.
Mark Barrett rose before dawn on Tuesday, eager to arrive at the Londonderry Phantom Fireworks store shortly after its 8 a.m. opening.
Barrett, whose son-in-law recently returned from an Army deployment in the Middle East, travels to the Granite State to buy fireworks several times per year.
The Rhode Island resident said he plans ahead for each trip, going onto the store's website to check out their latest wares and print out coupons.
Early Tuesday morning, when many folks were still asleep, he eagerly filled his shopping cart with rockets, Roman candles and sparklers and was happy to learn the store was offering a buy-one-get-one-free special in honor of the holiday.
“I definitely do my research as I enjoy (fireworks) all year long,” said Barrett. “I really like to set them off at Christmastime, when there's snow on the ground. But the Fourth is pretty big at our house too.”
In the next aisle, Duxbury, Mass., resident Phil Caliendo checked out the latest offerings with his son, Ben, 15, and family friend James Guimetti, 14.
Like Barrett, Caliendo makes the trip to Londonderry several times a year, with fireworks like the “New York Salute” and “The Bomb” among his favorite items.
“Oh yeah, that's a good one,” Ben said to his father as he pushed a second shopping cart.
With several gatherings to attend in Rhode Island on Wednesday, the family doesn't like to arrive empty-handed.
“I like to spread it out and do several fireworks shows,” Phil Caliendo said.
Phantom Fireworks Store Manager Mary McClusky said that so far the week as proven a hectic one, much to her delight.
“We go from having five employees in the store to 40 this week,” said McClusky.
All serious overtime hours aside, McClusky said July remains one of her favorite months.
“People just walk in here with a glaze over their eyes and they leave with a smile on their face,” she said. “It's a fun business to be in. Some guys come in here and tell me they feel like a kid in a candy store.”
Among the store's most popular items are the reloadable fireworks, which were legalized in New Hampshire last year. McClusky said store employees are trained to educate each customer on using the reloadables and all other fireworks, in a safe manner.
“Of course, everybody loves their sparklers,” Assistant Manager Mary Ann Collins said, noting that she steers families with younger children towards the Morning Glory line of sparklers, since their wooden sticks don't tend to heat up.
Down the street, Alamo Fireworks manager Chris Kivlin said he's having trouble keeping items on his shelves this week. Fortunately, many of his regular customers seem to have shopped early this year.
“We had a huge shipment come in two weeks ago and things are going fast,” said Kivlin. “I see a lot of the same customers coming back here, year after year.”
According to Londonderry Fire Marshal Brian Johnson, the state has legalized a number of additional fireworks in New Hampshire this year, though firecrackers, bottle rockets and M80s remain illegal.
Local residents wishing to host a private fireworks display with over $500 worth of fireworks need to obtain a permit prior to the day of their display, noted Johnson, who urged citizens to exercise common sense when setting off fireworks at home.
“It is the homeowner's responsibility to exercise due care and discharge fireworks only in accordance to the manufacturer's operating instructions,” Johnson added. “Even if all safety precautions are followed, the discharge of fireworks can be unpredictable. ... You should always use extreme caution when igniting them.”
- - - - - - - -
April Guilmet may be reached at AGuilmet@newstote.com.
Subscribe for FREE!
Union Leader Business Newsletter
» SHARE EVENTS FOR PUBLICATION, IT'S FREE!
Upcoming Events
Sorry, no question available