We have been eating our way across Southern Florida the last few days, as well as stopping in art stores, office supply stores and others, buying stuff we can’t get in Ecuador.  Today, we were driving along the Tamiami Trail, heading North out of Naples, and I saw a humongous fireworks store.  I had never seen anything bigger than a roadside stand with a few tables before, so was intrigued.  Three blocks further and there was yet another ginormous fireworks warehouse store. We had to stop and look!

First, I was intrigued to find the fireworks store right next to a guns & ammo store.  Seemed a bad combination to me, but then the other store combined a liquor store, fireworks store and auto dealer, so that had an even less auspicious combo… ☺

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph any of the actual fireworks.  The office manager did relent enough to let us photograph the aisle signs though.  Think of a giant Safeway that sells only fireworks of every possible configuration, and you will start to get a feel of what it was like in there.  Where Safeway might have an aisle for ‘pasta, sauces, rice’, here you had an aisle for ‘firecrackers, missles, roman candles & wing items.”

The store manager was nice enough to talk to us for awhile, even though I made it clear we could not take any with us, lest we be arrested entering Ecuador with explosives.  She told us that most of the fireworks were made in China, including their own brand of Sky King fireworks.

I asked if they could ship to California, and was told that they cannot ship anywhere, due to postal and air freight regulations.  Everything they sell from this giant store is sold to walk-in customers.  Even more amazing, when I checked their website later, I found there were three of these stores between Naples and Sarasota. Florida must celebrate with fireworks as much as Ecuadorians, to keep a store this large in business!