Making fireworks affordable for families is a labor of love for seasonal business
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IDAHO FALLS – For the last 18 years, Bryan Brusman has been making fireworks affordable for families.
Red Box and Red Balloon Fireworks sell firecrackers at 60% off and donate a batch to a needy family every year. There are seven locations in eastern Idaho and one in Alta, Wyoming. The five Red Box locations sell safe and sane fireworks, and the three Red Balloon locations sell aerial fireworks.
Brusman owns the business with Alexis Naylor, who got involved with her husband 11 years ago. Naylor runs the three Red Balloon locations.
The seasonal operation opened last weekend and wraps up its final day at 10 p.m. on July 4. Although it’s a profitable venture, Brusman tells EastIdahoNews.com that customers are a little more strapped for cash this year.
“I just had a guy walk up to the stand the other day who said, ‘I’ve been buying from you for eight years and yes, it’s tighter financially this year more than it’s ever been, but I don’t want to get rid of the memories I have with my family in the backyard,'” Brusman says.
It’s those memories, Brusman says, that keep customers coming back every year.
Brusman and his team usually donate fireworks to a family on the last day of business. They’re still trying to determine who the recipient will be this year.
“We literally pull up, leave fireworks on the doorstep, and leave,” he says.
Brusman’s father-in-law started the fireworks stand in 2003 to help families. Not only does it sell fireworks at a massively discounted rate, but it also provides an extra income for families who are struggling financially, whom they employ.
Naylor’s late husband, Kyle, who was killed in a plane crash in 2019, started running the business in 2014 to earn money for dental school.
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Naylor says it’s rewarding to hear fireworks going off around town after a long day of selling them. She says involvement in the business is a blessing to her and her family, and it’s “a wonderful way to honor her husband’s legacy.”
“He was young and was the in the middle of dental school, but he loved business and he tried to help us make it through the year. This was a great opportunity for that,” Naylor says. “He set me up as best as he could while he was here, and it’s just been a blessing.”
Brusman says part of the reason they initially sold fireworks at a discounted rate was that they bought too much inventory.
“We had too much inventory and wanted to be closed on Sunday. The Fourth fell on a Sunday, and we had to close on a Saturday. (Selling it at a discounted rate) was the way to get rid of it all,” says Brusman.
Though they make less money selling fireworks at 60% off, Brusman and Naylor say it’s an honor to make it affordable for families and help them celebrate every year.
They appreciate the loyal customers they have had over the years and plan to continue giving back to the community for as long as they can.