July 4th fireworks surefire sales job
Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/229992/
BETHEL HEIGHTS — On a warm, breezy day, Melanie Wood prepared for the annual summer rush for rockets, twisting explosives and mortars.
A tent manager for Uncle Sam’s Fireworks, Wood gets excited each June when sales begin. Camped out at a prime location on U. S. 71 Business in Bethel Heights, she is one of the dozens who come here to supply the pop and fire of the Fourth of July celebration.
In the industry for the past seven years, Wood likes to see the familiar faces who come calling for Chinese gunpowder rigged for the American night.
“I look forward to selling fireworks like my husband gets excited about hunting season,” Wood said.
The tent is protected by a security system, and at least one member of the Wood family sleeps each night in the recreational vehicle parked on the lot. Bo, the family’s rat terrier, also stands guard.
“I feel pretty safe here,” Wood said.
The selling season always starts out slow, but as the holiday draws near, the tents in Northwest Arkansas grow busy with buyers. In 2007, the Fourth of July fell in the middle of the work week. But this year, Independence Day is on a Friday, so the entire nation gets a threeday weekend.
Wood expects sales to surge as a result. Most consumers feel comfortable in the $ 50 range, while some might spend several hundred dollars, Wood said. Regardless of who buys what, her operation has grown each year.
“You start off small, see what you can do and then work your way up,” she said. “We do it for the money, but we also have fun.”
Benton County Fire Marshal Will Hanna and his staff inspect fireworks stands before sales begin. Thus far, Hanna has been impressed by the vendors.
“They have all done a good job,” he said. “I have found no blatant violations, only incidentals.”
Hanna has seen an increase in inspections and he knows why.
“It’s certainly a profitable, if temporary, operation,” he said. “There’s a pretty good markup on fireworks. We’re seeing more and more stands, but eventually there will be saturation.”
The Maryland-based American Pyrotechnics Association says that the fireworks industry generated $ 930 million in revenue in 2007, and that 238 million pounds of consumer fireworks were purchased. Julie Heckman, executive director of the association, says a tent manager in Arkansas can net about $ 15, 000 during the July 4 season.
“This is why the nonprofits are getting heavily engaged in running stands and tents,” she said.
Each year, fireworks wholesalers buy booklets of licenses and resell them to the local retailers.
This year, Arkansas wholesalers bought 59 booklets, each with 20 licenses, for a total of 1, 180 retail licenses, state Fire Marshal Lt. Lindsey Williams said, though it’s unlikely that all the retail licenses will be resold.
In the four years that he’s been state fire marshal, Williams said he’s heard of no major accidents at fireworks stands.
Each year, however, does have a number of eye and burn injuries caused during the discharge of fireworks.
Larry Mathews and his wife, Susan, have operated the Rainbow Fireworks tent at U. S. 71 B and Apple Blossom Road for 10 years. Relying on a mix of repeat customers and firsttime buyers, the couple uses profits from fireworks sales to supplement their income. Summer profits also help finance sumptuous vacations.
“It’s the difference between camping and going to Las Vegas,” Larry Mathews said. “We plan on doing this until we’re too old to walk around the tent.”
Last week, before the rush set in, Mathews, who wears his hair in a long braid, had enough time to tour his tent and point out various types of fireworks. The most popular is still the bottle rocket, and Mathews expects to sell up to 100 cases of them. More-affluent consumers buy expensive kits with bold names such as “The King of Artillery: Deluxe Collection” or “Extreme Pyro.”
Mathews, who provides a guarantee on all his fireworks, has confidence in his products.
“Some of this stuff is fantastic,” he said. “It’s like being in a ballpark but in your own backyard.”
He lives in an RV parked next to the tent and doesn’t leave until the selling season is over. Like the location where Wood operates, the Mathews tent is protected with a security system, and Bethel Heights and Lowell police frequently pass by the location.
“I’ve never had a problem,” said Mathews.
Made in China and shipped to the United States, fireworks are a staple for block and culde-sac parties.
Such was the case for Lance Bodily of Rove Pest Control. He and friends were stocking up recently in preparation for an Independence Day bash. In addition to rockets and assorted other fireworks, Bodily purchased “Boomtown,” a towering collection of bombs that explode into a variety of shapes and colors.
“We’re getting a bunch of stuff and we’re going to set up a show,” he said.