At 9 years old, Rickey Mitchell used to skim a little off the top. As the son of a local fireworks retailer, he got bottle rockets for free, which he would turn around and sell to the neighborhood kids for a little profit.

Now 57, Mitchell, the owner of fireworks retailer Mitchell Distributing 3506 Manor Drive, still likes to toss in a little something extra for the kids.

“Just about everybody that spends money here walks away with a little lagniappe at the end, a little something for nothing,” he said. “That makes me feel good because truth be told I’m a 12-year-old kid trapped in a 57-year-old body.”

Mitchell Distributing, one of the few locally owned fireworks retailers in Vicksburg, dates its origins back to 1939. Mitchell’s father, the son of Lebanese immigrants, began selling firecrackers, sparklers and cherry bombs off of a card table in front of a dry cleaner’s in downtown Vicksburg, and the business has been in the family ever since.

“It was tough times back then for them,” he said. “My dad was 12 years old on the cusp of the Great Depression, money was hard to come by.”

Mitchell began helping his dad box up fireworks to sell to local grocery stores back in the 1960s back when fireworks like cherry bombs, M80s and silver salutes were all the rage. Those high-powered fireworks were similar to 1/3 of a stick of dynamite, Mitchell said, and he doesn’t deal with them anymore because they’re illegal.

“I’ve seen some pretty good damage done by cherry bombs by older kids when I was coming up,” he said. “More than a mailbox or two paid the price for that.”

Fireworks safety and regulation have come a long way since then, Mitchell said, and he’s still got all his fingers and toes to show for it. Fireworks are inherently dangerous, he said, but he recommends always having adequate adult supervision for children. He also credits the newer green safety fuses, which provide a consistent burn for the added safety seen now.

While fireworks are a stalwart tradition of New Years celebrations, safety is the main concern for city and county officials. While the use of fireworks inside city limits is legal, Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong encourages those that enjoy them to be careful not to fire them at people’s homes or vehicles, which is their number one complaint, he said.

Armstrong and Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace echoed Mitchell’s recommendation to always have adult supervision present if children are using fireworks. Both departments will have extra officers on duty to respond to calls for disturbances and they will respond accordingly, they said.

“We approach that with a common sense approach because people celebrate with fireworks to ring in the New Year,” Pace said. “We encourage people to use them appropriately and with caution, but not to create a major disturbance for those that are not participating in New Years Eve activities.”

Mitchell Distributing can only sell fireworks twice a year from June 15 to July 5 and Dec. 5 to Jan. 2 due to state law. The legal age of purchase for the state is 12 years old, but no one under the age of 16 is able to purchase fireworks in the City of Vicksburg, according to the city’s website.

“In the City of Vicksburg fireworks may not be sold to anyone under the age of 16; they may not be discharged within 600 feet of any church, hospital, asylum, public school, or industrial building; and they may not be ignited within 200 feet of any commercial building, or where fireworks are stored, sold, or offered for sale.”

Safety and providing a quality product for the best price possible is Mitchell’s number one concern this New Years Eve.

“Why do I do it? Because I think they’re a lot of fun, it’s not something you see everyday,” he said. “You have a little bit of built in anticipation for the season.”

After his father passed away in 2000, Mitchell moved the business to its current location, which allows him more storage and parking than he had. Fireworks sales are a seasonal business and Mitchell has a full time job that keeps him busy, so his wife, son, daughter and son-in-law help out with the family business when he’s not around.

“We have a lot of fun with it,” Mitchell said. “It’s a family affair.”

His wife, Melba, admitted that she was overwhelmed at first with her added responsibility after Mitchell’s father passed, but she loves it because he does. The couple were high school sweethearts and dated for eight years before marrying.

“I married an angel,” Mitchell said. “She puts up with me, she’s got her wings.”

Mitchell prides himself on having good variety and the best deals on his fireworks, but cites his Vicksburg upbringing and loyal, local customer base as the reason for his success.

“I’ll say it every day that I’m alive, I appreciate everybody that comes back and gives us repeat business,” he said. “You’re only successful if other people make it that way.”

As for any retirement plans, Vicksburg residents won’t have to look for a new place to buy their fireworks any time soon if he has anything to say about it.

“The day I can’t be up here for the Fourth of July or for Christmas or New Years is going to be a bad day for me,” Mitchell said. “I don’t even want to think about that.