Beginning in April, Edgecomb will be the home of a new fireworks store, “Pyro City.”
The store, operated by Central Maine Pyrotechnics owner Steve Marston, will offer customers 1500-sq.ft. of firecrackers, Roman candles, zenith shells, reloadables and more.
Marston is currently working with the Edgecomb Planning Board to get the necessary permits for the operation. The store will be located on Rt. 1, just north of the Wiscasset Bridge. If approved, he hopes to open April 1 in Edgecomb.
Pyro City is a consumer fireworks franchise with locations throughout the United States.
The Edgecomb store will be one of the first in Maine since fireworks became legal Jan. 1. A bill legalizing some consumer fireworks was signed into law July 1, 2011 by Gov. Paul LePage.
The Edgecomb branch of Pyro City will be one of four fireworks stores opening in Maine over the next few months, according to Marston. Other shops will be opening in Manchester, Winslow, and Presque Isle.
In fact, the Manchester store, outside Augusta, is Marston’s flagship store and is scheduled to open March 1.
What’s also exciting is Marston foresees creating approximately 25 full-time jobs, with benefits, in his four shops. To fill the positions, he will be looking to the recently unemployed.
“There are people who are struggling,” Marston said. “It doesn’t do our economy any good to hire someone in another job.”
The four shops mark a significant investment for Marston, who is investing more than $1 million in Maine’s nascent consumer fireworks industry.
To open a fireworks store in Maine, one must have a $2 million product liability policy, a regular liability policy, and licensing from several local, state, and federal agencies. All of this does not include the cost of buying a building and product with which to stock it.
“It’s a risk, but we feel confident about the risk we’re taking because people in Maine want fireworks to use on their property,” Marston said.
Marston is not a rookie when it comes to pyrotechnics. His Central Maine Pyrotechnics company is a popular choice for towns seeking firework displays for holidays and events.
Last year, Central Maine Pyrotechnics oversaw some 225 displays throughout New England, including the Lincoln County towns of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor.
Marston entered the pyrotechnics business when he was only 16 years old. Apprenticed to an Italian fireworks specialist, who first got him in the business, Marston was conducting his own shows by the time he was 21.
CMP partners with a Chinese fireworks company Jinsheng Fireworks in Linyuanga, a city in Hunan Province. According to Marston, Chinese fireworks are the best in the world.
“They’re the founding fathers of it,” Marston said.
Marston said he flew to China personally to establish a direct connection with the company. He recalled meeting the 82-year-old head factory chemist, who creates his own formulas for his fireworks. These formulas, Marston said, will be kept within the chemist’s family and passed on to his son.
Marston expressed confidence that people will be excited to have the opportunity to buy fireworks for their own personal use.
“There is something about fireworks that people love,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll be safe and have fun with it.”
