When John Adams asked his wife, Abigail, to bring fireworks to the nation’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, he wanted to celebrate the birth of a nation.
Nearly 247 years later, the shooting of fireworks on the Fourth of July has become a tradition among many Americans and turned into a multi-billion dollar industry.
According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, sales in the United States brought in $2.7 billion, selling more than 461 million pounds of products in 2022.
Steven Brock, manager for the Ninja Fireworks stand at 7125 Hwy. 45 N. said locally, small stands can make more than $20,000 for the Fourth of July season and between $10,000 and $15,000 for New Year’s Eve.
“I really enjoy the time of the season when I see people come in and enjoy the patriotic day and talk to different customers, find out what they’re looking for, especially little kids when they come up,” Brock said. “They see all of the products that we have and their eyes get bigger and bigger. I love just seeing the excitement of kids being happy on the Fourth of July.”
Deborah Turman, owner of Orbit Fireworks, said the business brings in many customers throughout both the summer and winter seasons.
About 20 to 30 customers frequent local stands per day throughout June, but once July 3 hits, stores can see between 750 and 1,000 customers, both Turman and Brock said.
“We have to be prepared and ready,” Turman said. “A lot of (customers) wait until the last two days before (July 4) because they want to see how the weather is doing before they decide to spend all of their money to shoot.”
According to state law, fireworks sold in Mississippi must have less than two grams of black powder and be stored in secure, dry areas.
Stands can also only operate from June 15 to July 5 and from Dec. 5 through Jan. 2.
Turman said customers can spend between $20 for simple sparklers and firecrackers and as much as $500 for several large, multiple-burst fireworks. Popular sellers include The Bad Mother-In-Law, the Firework Fiesta, and Death Shells, which hold large boxes of several colored fireworks fired from a launcher.
Brock said he has even seen people purchase as much as $3,000 worth of product for firework shows and family celebrations.
Regarding budgeting for a holiday, Brock suggests the average family should spend around $200 for a box of rockets, sparklers and Roman candles for kids.
“If you got kids involved, your kids are going to want sparklers, fluorescent sparklers, the 144 pack of bottle rockets. We also have the whistling bottle rockets that are extremely good. Kids love smoke bombs too,” Brock said. “… I would say you need at least a couple hundred bucks for it.”
APA reports fireworks retail locations buy fireworks wholesale at approximately one-third of the retail price, meaning a purchase of $100 worth of inventory from their distributor could result in $300 of retail sales.
That markup gives retailers room to offer incentives such as the buy one-get one free deals frequently seen at stands. Turman said those deals can help build customer loyalty and keep sales steady during the slower parts of June.
“Not all items in our stands are like that, but we do have a lot that are buy one get one free or buy two get two free,” Turman said. “It’s kind of just a gimmick, but it does pass some savings onto our customers.”
But selling off fireworks isn’t the only draw for business owners like Turman, who have been selling fireworks for more than 40 years. She said the best part is getting to know the customers who come to the stands and building a rapport.
“You get to know your customers by name and find out what’s happened the last six months,” she said. “I don’t see them all the time, but we’re like a family. We tell each other we love them. And we like to check on each other because we don’t see them for about every six months.”
Jon Lee, owner of Ninja Fireworks, said he enjoys the business because he gets to help others celebrate the holidays.
“It’s a fun product to sell,” Lee said. “You’re helping people celebrate Independence Day and also New Years.”
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