LEWISBURG, Pa. — July 2, 2023, was a day Ty Drumm will never forget. Drumm and his brother own Just Lite It, a fireworks store near Lewisburg.
"I got a phone call that a tornado hit the building. We came up. Everybody was fine. There were no injuries aside from buildings and cars, but yeah, it was a very scary day," Drumm recalled.
An EF 1 tornado ripped through Union County, destroying the store in its path. It was two days before the store's busiest holiday of the year.
"We had no power. We had major water damage. It wasn't safe, so no, we couldn't do anything. It shut us down for the season."
Nearly a year later, The Drumms reopened the store in a new location on nearby Ziegler Road. They had plans to build there eventually; the tornado forced them to do it sooner.
'It's wonderful," Drumm said. "Everything is fresh, clean. We have a better layout, the whole shelving system, and lighting; everything is so much better in this building."
Customers like it too. Chad Warren of Montoursville stopped by to see the selection.
"After such a tragedy, to have your whole store torn down, it's nice to see everything rebuilt so nicely," Warren said.
Just Lite It is open seven days a week. The store is having a grand opening on Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will have special promotions for the 4th of July.