CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- For months, experts have warned of a fireworks shortage for the Fourth of July.
Pyro City in Clarksville, Indiana, made it through the holiday weekend — but just barely — thanks to an emergency shipment of supplies.
Store manager Mike Kimzey says if those supplies hadn't come in early Saturday morning, there'd probably be nothing left.
"I'm speechless," said Kimzey. "At one point you couldn't hardly walk down the aisles."
Kimzey already figured two weeks ago when WDRB News first visited, back when shelves were still stocked, that a lot of product may not last through the holiday.
"On the third we had to literally lock the doors and turn the lights out even though we were here because people were banging on the doors," said Kimzey. "And then (on the fourth) we tried to close around midnight and we were closing the doors and people were coming up going 'No, no, no we want some more, we want some more.'"
Kimzey believes this level of demand may stick around since many people started putting on their own firework shows in 2020 when big events were cancelled.
"Cause people had so much fun," he said. "The people that came last year and it was their first time, they were back this year, and they were searching for whoever helped pick out their stuff last year."
Despite how much supply dwindled in a matter of weeks, Kimzey thinks the supply chain issues the industry faces are slowly working their way out, considering Pyro City was completely wiped out last Fourth of July.
"It's still going to take a year to two years to get back to normal, but it's definitely better than it was a year ago today," he said.
He's hoping supply will improve even more next year considering how many new customers he's seen the last two years.
"It's an addiction," Kimzey said.
He adds if you want your pick of product before it's all gone, you should start shopping for the Fourth of July as early as mid-June.
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