Kentuckiana fireworks stores seeing business boom despite weekday holiday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Fireworks stores wait all year for the Fourth of July.

DJ Johnson never misses a chance to load up his cart as July 4 rolls around.

"Normally the neighborhood, we just all come together and just put it all together and have a good time," Johnson said.

Johnson has bought his fireworks at Pyro City in Clarksville for years. The retail shop is just one of a number of Indiana fireworks stores ready for a boom in business.

"A lot of parents leave the kids at home because kids want to buy too much small stuff, and it adds up quick," said Pyro City manager Mike Kimzey

Fourth of July is one a Thursday this year, which will impact sales and profits.

"When the Fourth falls on a Friday people buy all week," Kimzey said. "For some reason when it falls on a Thursday, it all compacts into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Kimzey said prices are down over the last few years due to lower shipping costs. But for some, price is no option.

"A guy came in and said 'build me a $3,000 show and I don't want any small stuff,'" Kimzey laughed.

Fireworks stand on West Broadway.jpg — A stand at 26th Street and Broadway in Louisville, Ky. on July 3, 2024.

At 26th and Broadway in Louisville, Phyllis Connelly has had a family stand here for 30 years. Due to local laws, only foundations are allowed in Jefferson County, but larger fireworks are allowed outside the county.

"We have a lot of people that come about three or four times a day because they already set off what they had," Connelly said.

Family packages range from $60 to $80. The hottest selling item, a kid's backpack filled with tiny fireworks, costs about $30.

Some stores let shoppers scan any barcode to see before a purchase is made.

"Louder the shells, the bigger the better," Johnson said. "It's a great holiday, trying to celebrate in a loud way, in a loud and safe way."

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