Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Emily Bush, owners of WV Fireworks Outlet in Crab Orchard(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald)
Lance and Emily Bush, owners of WV Fireworks Outlet in Crab Orchard(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald)
Lance Bush, owners of WV Fireworks Outlet in Crab Orchard(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald)
Emily Bush, owners of WV Fireworks Outlet in Crab Orchard(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald)
Lance and Emily Bush, owners of WV Fireworks Outlet in Crab Orchard(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald)
Lance Bush, owners of WV Fireworks Outlet in Crab Orchard(Rick Barbero/The Register-Herald)
When Beckley businessman Lance Bush remembers childhood summers spent in his native Alabama, he recalls the excitement he felt when he and his family set off fireworks in the dusk of the South.
"I've always enjoyed them, just the experience of the family bonding, my parents taking us during this time of year and buying fireworks as a kid, and the family setting them off," Bush, 40, said Monday. "Even as a little boy, that's something we enjoyed."
When state legislators first allowed the use of Class C fireworks in the state in 2016, Bush was excited at the idea of helping other families enjoy fireworks. He quickly began vending fireworks from a tent.
“I operated a tent, just to test the water and to see what it was,” he explained. “It was such a great response, and there wasn’t any retail stores in our area.”
Bush, who was working, mostly, with out-of-state tent vendors, took the opportunity to become the first permanent, local fireworks retailer.
He said that he and his wife, Uyen, who owned and operated a Beckley nail salon at the time, opened WV Fireworks Outlet stores in Mercer County and Summersville. They decided to open a store in the Beckley area this year, selling the nail salon to focus full-time on lighting up the local events landscape.
The Bushes' store is the only fireworks store in Raleigh County.
Having a store is much better for customers than selling fireworks from the tent, he said.
“One of the main things is that our stuff is indoors, versus the outdoors,” he said. “Looking at the weather forecast, we’re going to get a lot of rain, so that product is sitting outside, getting damp and wet. That’s very dangerous when you go to let it off.
“We also have a better variety of products that you can choose from, a better selection, because you can only have so much under a tent.”
With three stores now, he said, he is able to offer customers a good price point on their fireworks.
“We stand behind our products,” Bush added. “If somebody does get something that doesn’t work out, they can bring it back. I’ve got a permanent store. I’ll give them something to replace it with.
“We want to offer great customer service. We want to promote safety as well.”
WV Fireworks Outlet stocks several brands of firework, from premium brands like the well-known Black Cat, along with World Class and Showtimes, and brands that are not as famous but still offer customers bang for their buck.
“We carry a large variety of different assortments, as well as brands and price points,” Bush said. “We also have some higher-end fireworks.
“Class C fireworks, which are all the aerial fireworks (that are shot into the air) — anything you could get in the past in Tennessee and South Carolina, we can sell in West Virginia now,” he said. “So we can sell everything from the small, novelty sparklers for kids, all the way to the big stuff the adults like to play with.”
WV Fireworks Outlet sells a wide variety, including the reloadable “shells” that customers load one at a time and launch into the air and 500-gram “cakes” that go up to 300 feet in the air.
As more people have access to the colorful explosives, they are finding creative ways to personalize special moments, Bush said.
Baby showers and weddings are always fun times to celebrate with a bang, Bush said.
Engagement photography — hiring a photographer to secretly capture a wedding proposal — is also on the rise.
Some significant others are adding an aerial bouquet at the moment the hopeful groom (or bride) pops the big question, planning for a magnificent photograph and an unforgettable moment.
“We get a lot of calls for people doing the gender reveal fireworks, from green to pink or blue,” Bush added. “People are announcing babies.
“Any event is a good time for fireworks.”
Corporate-themed shows are gaining in popularity, and Bush said that his staff can assist local business owners and board members with planning a one-of-a-kind celebration for company picnics, dinners, holidays, anniversaries and retirement parties.
For families, Bush said, a backyard fireworks party does not have to cost $1,000 to offer quality family time and to create lifetime memories.
Part of the charm of having a fireworks store that serves friends and neighbors, Bush said, is that he and his staff are able to talk to customers and to then help them put together a fireworks show, no matter the budget or the number of guests who will be attending.
“We get a lot of people that come in and say, ‘We would like to do something for the kids,'” he explained.
“We do get a lot of people that just want something fun for the kids in the evening time, something that’s not too loud or disturbs the dogs. So we will show them some things that are a little quieter to do, also.
“A lot of family reunions and barbecues are going on around the Fourth of July season as well."
Bush said that, whether the event is a logo-themed fireworks show, a romantic proposal, a corporate extravaganza or a kid’s birthday party, fireworks can be a safe and memorable way to celebrate.
He advised customers who are planning a fireworks show to first find out the regulations of the city where they are planning their event. Some municipalities require special permits for fireworks that are not set off on the Fourth of July or another recognized holiday.
If a permit is not given, an alternative location must be booked.
Touching up on fireworks safety is a must. Bush and his staff are available in the store to speak with customers, and safety tips are posted on the website at www.wvfireworksoutlet.com
The available open space available for any fireworks show must be considered. The fireworks selected must not present a danger to nearby people or pets or a fire hazard to buildings, cars or trees.
Finally, the fun part is putting together the show. Bush said he and his staff ask customers a list of questions and then show videos of the different fireworks that are available on their personalized budget.
“We can work with any budget to give them a great show,” said Bush. “We can show them some things and how they can time their show out to make it where it will last and how to stitch their show for longer duration.”
He said a “great show” would be a start with smaller “cakes” that have a height of 50 to 75 feet in the air and to build from there with fireworks that project sparks higher.
The “finale” is the big one at the end, and the finale should offer the most spark, bang and height in the show.
One of the “finale boxes” at WV Fireworks Outlet has bursts that spread 300 feet and sparks that detonate 300 feet in the air, said Bush.
“That’s probably our biggest finale box,” he said. “And then we also have some ‘finale cakes.’
“A cake is a 500-gram, square box. You light one fuse, and it does everything for you.
“A lot of people will do that as a finale.”
WV Fireworks Outlet is at 1429 Robert C. Byrd Drive in Crab Orchard. More information, including safety tips, is available at 304-255-0092 or by visiting www.wvfireworksoutlet.com
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