Fireworks Triumph Over Soft Cleveland Economy

Many Cleveland area suburbs can no longer afford fireworks for the Fourth of July, but for American Fireworks in Hudson, business is still booming.

"We haven't had much of a drop in sales," said retail sales manager John David Sorgi Jr. "In fact, our business has been up. We are seeing more backyard displays."

Sorgi, who runs the business with his brother, mother, and grandmother, said people just can't do without fireworks on the Fourth.

"Fireworks are like a Christmas tree or a costume at Halloween," he said.

Sorgi said he sees many of the same customers every year and they know what they are doing.

"The most common backyard fireworks injuries these days are from people running around with sparklers," Sorgi said. "For our regulars, it's not their first rodeo."

Fireworks are safety checked when they are manufactured (usually in China) and again when they arrive in the United States. You also no longer hear M-80s and cherry bombs going off in your neighborhood because they were outlawed 15 years ago, Sorgi said.

American Fireworks holds a license for Class B (large display) and Class C (retail) fireworks. The company has been working on 150 shows for Fourth of July weekend since December.

"These days, the big thing is to set the displays to music," Sorgi said. "We have a huge show in Portage Lakes on July 3. We have a soundtrack starting at 10 p.m. on 98.1 FM. That's where the industry is going. It's very creative."

While 80 percent of the company's business comes on Fourth of July weekend, there is a variety of other times throughout the year in which somebody needs fireworks.

"We provide fireworks for weddings, ballparks, concerts, country clubs, New Year's Eve and Memorial Day," he said. "Also, in October we got a lot of people from India buying fireworks to celebrate one of their holidays.

American Fireworks is located at 7041 Darrow Road in Hudson and will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight through the Fourth of July.

"Sometimes people shoot off all of their fireworks on the Fourth and have to come back for more," Sorgi said. "We have huge lines on July 3 and 4. I try to tell people to come early, but if they did, they would just shoot them off early. They just can't control themselves."