Michigan’s newly-loosened fireworks law has meant an extra boon for some local businesses and landowners this summer.
It’s hard to tell just how much that law has really boosted fireworks sales. But its impact is visible along Woodward Avenue just north of Detroit, where outdoor fireworks stands have popped up alongside the road.
At one site in Royal Oak, a bright-yellow container shell advertises things like Roman candles and artillery in huge letters.
The mini-business is run by Joanna Mehall and her husband, who own of an adjacent flower shop. They were doing a brisk business this Fourth of July.
Mehall says they contracted with a fireworks supplier, Crazy Fireworks, looking for sales sites after getting out of the Michigan fireworks business for years. The company and landowners then split the profits.
“They do all the licensing, and they’ve been really beneficial in trying to work with the cities and help us be able to sell,” Mehall said.
Mehall says business there has been “phenomenal” so far, and they might even stay open into the near future if demand keeps up.
