Fireworks Tents

1. Money
A. you'll also need a license
B. you'll also need a State Fire Marshall permit.
C. you'll also need a 'no tax due' letter from your state.
D. also, you'll need to set up a business or otherwise become an LLC
E. most cities require a separate permit just to have a sign.
2. A wholesaler. He will require you to buy it outright, maybe he'll do consignment.
` A. You'll need a tent.... The average tent to rent runs about $2,000 for two weeks.
3. Find a good location. You'll have to pay rent. In a ideal location, expect to pay as much as $1,000 a day. Starter might be better off offering to make a deal for the lot owner to get a percentage of your profit. Make sure you mention your business will bring in more traffic.
4. You will have a lot of trash. Fireworks come in cases with individually wrapped pieces. A good fireworks business will go through at least two 20 yard dumpsters in two weeks at $240 per dump.
5. You'll need to electricity your tent. You'll have to get a power box and a meter from the local power company. Depending on city codes, you have to get that power into the tent. You're easily looking at $2,000 even for the smallest tent.
A. You'll likely have to have an inspection on everything above before you go further.
B. The tent has to be rated as a 'fire retarded' tent.
6. Security. So now you have your fancy camper and TV and am willing to stay solid for two weeks, whose going to watch the fireworks all night? Expect to either stay awake 24/7 or have a security guard there at up to $40 per hour all night to watch your TV.
A. Depending where you're located, some cities require you to hire their officers and may have to be approved by your city. The best security you can get are the biggest guys you can find in plain clothes, like bouncers, who don't take crap from anybody.
7. Where you going to store your fireworks? You're going to have to rent a POD or storage trailers.
A. At night, how are you going to see inside those trailers? You'll need lights.
B. Those will have to be inspected.

8. How are you going to display your fireworks? You're going to need tables. You can make them with sheets of plywood on saw horses, or use standard folding tables.
A. You'll also need a crap load of fire extinguishers and proof from many cities that you and your employees are qualified to operate them. Each extinguisher has to be certified for fireworks and be up to date.
9. Are you going to accept credit cards? You'll need a phone line for that besides they charge up to 2.9%, you'll also have to buy or rent a credit card machine. If you take checks, you'll either just accept them or have to buy or rent a separate machine for Telephone-Check. You'll need at least one phone line.
10. How are you going to check people out?
Here's a little secret. The average mark up is 2.5 times. You make more money on the novelties and smaller items. You get less percentage for the bigger items. Most price novelties and 5x. Multi effects and assortments, your lucky to get 2x.
11. Advertisement. You'll need signs and advertisement. You'll need to get your name out there.
12. Name. You have to have a catchy name for your place and we were the first to discover that a long time ago.
13. Bookkeeping. Whose going to keep track of the books?
14. Even if you're anywhere even remotely successful, you have to pay your employees.
15. The worst day for us is the 5th when we have to put it all away. It takes us two weeks to put it all up and we tear it all down in 5 hours on the 5th. We don't pay our people until after that's done.



Okay, you have a location, permits, tent, insurance, advertising, tables and all that fun stuff. Now you need to buy inventory. First year stand, maybe 50 cases to 100 cases. Don't over do the big stuff. Don't buy what you shoot. Know your customers. Soccer moms for the most part, don't buy 100 cakes for their kids. Assortments, shell kits, small 500s, novelties, novelties, novelties. Nothing like having 20 half cases of novelties left over.

You can download this safety checklist I found on the web as reference.

When it comes to fundraising profits for small to medium sized nonprofits,few come close to the exploding profit potential of Firework Sales.Fireworks are one of this country's display of visual patriotic art. Practically every community has a fireworks show on Independence Day and around Christmas/New Years Day. It's tradition, history and great fun for many firework enthusiasts. More on this story here

Fireworks tents are a frequent target for arson. A fireworks tent selling fireworks in Port Richey, Fla., was set on fire one Wednesday night, setting off an premature fireworks show. Sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin said that at about 10:45 p.m., someone walked into the stand, lighting a firework before fleeing, according to the St. Petersburg Times newspaper. The explosion set of a chain reaction.
Police apprehended one of two suspects in the arson. Tony Rogers, of Tampa, Fla., was arrested and charged with arson and two counts of arson resulting in injury.
A woman and her 5-year-old son were injured. It was reported Andrea Berkman injured her ankle when she fell escaping the tent. Her son, Griffin, was struck on the side of his head by a burning object and suffered a flash burn on his right ear.
Owners of fireworks tents are very concerned and often provide security guards to prevent such an occurrence.

Tony Glenn Rogers, 39, of Tampa, is accused of lighting a firework inside the tent, causing a chain reaction of explosions that shot through the roof and across U.S. 19. Rogers was arrested and charged with arson of an occupied structure and two counts of arson resulting in injury. He was being held in the Land O' Lakes jail Thursday with bail set at $51,000.

The sheriff's office is looking for a man, about 35, who entered the tent with Rogers.

'We're lucky somebody didn't get killed,' sheriff's office spokesman Doug Tobin said. 'I think that shows the dangers of these tents.'

Complete store here