So what do you do the rest of the year?

Anyone who works in the fireworks business has been asked this question. When I started at Jake's last Fall, I would have asked the same thing. Then I got thrown into the fire of the Winter season. I have never again wondered what we do the rest of the year.

In my posts, I hope to share what this business looks like through the eyes of someone new to the industry. I want to share the things that I find amusing, strange and downright odd.

Back to the question of what do you do the rest of the year. Well, in addition to the regular season that most people think of when they think of fireworks, we of course have a winter season in the Southern states. This was something that I would have never thought about since I have always lived places where you would be crazy to want to to be outside shooting fireworks on New Years Eve.

Of course the winter season is not as large as the Summer (I am assuming, but I think I am safe here) but it is still big enough that it takes a lot of time and manpower to make it happen. I also went and worked in a retail store in Louisiana for a week. This was an excellent learning experience for me as I not only learned about the product but more importantly I learned about our end customer. I think a lot of people in a fireworks store or stand fall in to two classes, the true pyro who just loves fireworks and then the person who is there buying out of obligation because they are going somewhere where everyone is bringing fireworks.

The true pyros are the guys who come in with a list of all their favorites from the last year and know exactly what they want. They probably taught me more in that week than anything else. The people who don't know anything were the ones who made me then apply that knowledge to be able to truly help them find something not only in their price range but also that would be impressive at the party to which they were headed. Luckily, with World Class and Boomer brands, we have great products in all price ranges.

One of the hardest questions to answer is what do you like. Fireworks are one of those things that everyone has an opinion on and everyone's opinion is right. It's about what you like. Some people would shoot artillery shells all night, while other people like fountains. For some Saturn Missile Batteries are a vital part of any shoot while for others there is an intense dislike for them.

For me, I like the 500 gram cakes and I like the ones that have a lot going on in terms of effects. For that reason I dont think you can ever go wrong with Loyal To None

I think one of the most surprising things to me so far is the sheer number of novelty items that exist. I know these are important for the kids but when I was a kid we always got sparklers and firecrackers and maybe a couple of tanks if we were lucky. Now you could keep the kids busy all day with the large variety of items available. I absolutely love the new Chicken Blowing Balloon. Its a goofy little thing that everyone loves because it is different. And as a father of a 7 year old boy, I know he will like it.

And that, more than anything, answers the question of what we do the rest of the year. Product development and testing, trips to the factories in China, all the work of manufacturing and importing is a year round endeavor. In order to have the best product in the warehouse and on the shelves for next season you have to start working on it a year ahead of time. That is what truly makes us World Class.