Question for Consumer Firework Store Owners

[TylerBarnett]

Hey guys,

I have a question for all the consumer fireworks store owners out there. My father and I are researching opening a store in Kentucky but cannot decided on which "brand" to go with. Meaning, we want something franchised. We don't have the insight in order to build our own stock and brands. So, question, which brand/franchise of consumer fireworks would be best to open a new store with? Which has the best ROIs?

Thanks in advance!

-Tyler

[jknepp1954]

Fireworks isn'nt something that you really do as a FRANCHISE!. McD's is....BK is...Subway is...etc.
Do your own thing is best....offer more than 1 brand....try to set yourself apart from the rest.
Look to companies that offer terms. It is hard to first start out - and you wont' make any profit first year. As so much in start up investment.
Good Luck

[Kenny East]

While I'm not a store owner, I will say variety is the spice of life. Stores that are tied to a specific brand pose the issue of not having all the best of each brand.
I'm friends with many store owners, be prepared for a lot of work... One of them opened a new store, got tore a new one over findings from the fire marshals walk through as well as new location permit errors.

You could always get your feet wet by running a tent for jakes, or similar brand. Let you get a feel for what you are getting into without all the risk of buying into a full on business startup.

[Pyro Paul]

For what it's worth, a contractor friend of mine ran a fireworks tent with his wife and kids for Jakes fireworks which sells world class fireworks. He told me that Jakes supplied everything they needed to run the stand and they worked on a commission. I don't really know how much they made but after doing it once he said they'll never do it again lol.

[TylerBarnett]

Thank you everybody for the great responses! A lot to consider.

[NWA_Fireworks]

Talk about a loaded question! I opened my own tent last year, so this will be be my second season on my own. Prior to that, my father and I ran several locations for another company for several years. Unless you are sitting on a pile of money that you can't figure out what to do with, I second what jknepp said about being prepared to lose money the first year (or two), and I also second what Kenny said - try working for another company as an operator for a year or two or three. Let them assume the risk of buying all the fireworks, renting the location, supplying the tent/tables/lights/bunting/cash registers, etc. You work on commission, and you're only "risk" is your time. This is a great way to get started and gain experience, and it allows you to test your local market, get a feel for what customers in your area like to buy, etc. Plus you don't have to store any equipment or leftover fireworks in the off season.

For us, we initially went with a company that carried many national brands (Brothers, Winda, Shogun, Legend, etc.) plus their own in house brands. This also helps you do some price shopping across different wholesalers when it comes time to placing your first order.

Whatever you do, don't work for TNT (I think you have to be a non-profit to run a TNT tent). They are a leech to the consumer fireworks industry.