Fireworks stands operators combat storms for sales

It�s peak time for fireworks transactions across Southeast Missouri, but the latest round of unpredictable summertime weather has been a disturbance for some.

Laura Hoffman-Albers manages the Hoffman Family Fireworks location in Jackson and said the business has had a presence in the community for a very long time.

She has managed for at least 15 years, she said, and at every location there is always a manager present � day or night. As of Saturday morning, they have had no storm damage at the Jackson location, but the Hoffman Family Fireworks at Town Plaza in Cape Girardeau sustained some storm damage in the last few days.

Bands are used to tie the tent of Hoffman Family Fireworks to a guardrail for stability against winds Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�The wind picked up one of the signs and that was flying through and it took out one of the (tent) poles,� she said.

Aside from the incident in Cape Girardeau, Hoffman said, �We�ve been so blessed.�

�We do make sure that we have a bunch of extra plastic wrap, too, so if there was a leak, we�d either move product or tables, so nothing is getting wet, or we�ll cover it with plastic,� she said. �I trust so much that everything is secured as much as it possibly can be.�

Fireworks for sale at Patriot Fireworks on Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

Inventory that�s near the perimeter of the tent is heavily monitored during a storm, Hoffman said, and she and other employees are �constantly following the weather.�

Hoffman said poles and ropes all tide to the ground and around the sides of the tent help to sustain the structure. Poles positioned in the middle also hold everything together, she said.

�So even if the wind comes through and affects the outer metal poles a bit, we�re secured here in the middle as well,� Hoffman said.

A mangled sign lies outside Hoffman Family Fireworks on Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

Even when factoring in the weather conditions, Hoffman said it�s �hard to say� whether that has any effect on sales.

�The Fourth is on a Wednesday already. So that can affect things sometimes as well. And it�s early in the season,� she said. �These aren�t necessarily the busiest times, anyway. But I�m curious as to how much the heat will keep people indoors.�

Emily Witvoet, manager of Fireworks City locations in Jackson, said this past week they encountered severe storms and she was worried, but knew to cover everything immediately and �batten down the hatches.�

Fireworks for sale at Patriot Fireworks on Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�It looked like it was going to lift up, but it never did. It stayed in place,� she said. �So far, we haven�t had any damaged product.�

Witvoet said when seeing storms approaching, she and the other employees cover the product with plastic, let down the sides of the tent and �hope for the best.�

Chris Wheeler operates the Patriot Fireworks location in Cape Girardeau and said for him, it�s a combination of things to ensure withstanding storms.

Fireworks for sale at Hoffman Family Fireworks on Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�First, you want to make sure you monitor your tent stability through the stakes and straps,� he said.

During a storm, anytime the tent has �enough lift,� someone has to troubleshoot and find the cause and fix it, even if that means getting soaked in the process, he explained.

Wheeler said part of what has to be done is have someone with a sledgehammer to go outside, sling the sledge and ratchet the straps.

Fireworks for sale at Hoffman Family Fireworks on Friday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�You don�t ever anticipate what may happen,� he said.

Wheeler said he has always rented his tents because of the expense of a new one.

He operates his business in the confines of a 40-by-120-foot tent and said if new � including poles, straps, flaps and stakes � the cost would be nearly $160,000.

The last few years he has been implementing extra waterproofing defenses during storms and has recently begun turning off the power supply to the tents as an added precaution.

�We�re just starting to think safer. If something were to happen, if our tent were to blow down, then you have a hot electrical cord pulled in half, and the last thing we want to be dealing with is sparks,� Wheeler said.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632