East Texas firework vendors see slow start in sales for the New Year

GREGG COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Fourth of July and New Years are the biggest holidays for firework sales, but supply chain problems had some East Texas vendors worried they might not have enough inventory on their shelves.

With only a limited number of days by law to sell, fireworks vendors are hoping East Texans are ready to celebrate.

“Sales are June 24 through July 4. December 20 through the first. My husband’s family has been in it for over 50 years. This has been our livelihood for a long time,” said Debra Kirby, the co-owner of Fireworks Express in Gregg County.

There are noticeably fewer roadside fireworks stands, possibly because of supply chain problems.

“We were wondering whether we would be able to open. Our biggest delivery came in about four weeks ago. They were sitting out on the barges off the coast of California,” Kirby said.

Just enough supply that they hope will meet demand, and for some, it represents a large portion of their yearly income.

Jimmy Cox has been in fireworks sales for 15 years.

“The business for those 12 to 14 days, however long it is, is really big,” he said.

They’re hoping people are ready to break out of the pandemic slump.

“I am seeing that people are wanting to get out of the house. The biggest day of our season will be tomorrow, December 31,” Cox said.

“We expect a huge crowd tomorrow all day,” Kirby said.

A reminder: fireworks cannot be set off inside the city limits of most cities in Texas.

It means you must travel to an unincorporated area to shoot them.

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