(LEX 18) — When the recent trade war with China exploded as tariff negotiations were in full effect, the firework industry could only watch.
“The truth of the matter is, is that China is making the world's consumer fireworks,” said Dan Peart, director of government affairs at Phantom Fireworks. “There is not another market available in the world for consumers like us.”
With the lack of options, Phantom Fireworks – the country’s largest firework retailer – paused production when tariffs spiked at 145%. Now, the tariffs have come to rest at 30%.
“That is definitely more manageable,” Peart said. “We have opened up some of the orders that we halted production on to start coming back in now.”
The question is, will you pay more bucks for your bang? According to Peart, Phantom’s prices will mostly remain the same because their inventory is already stocked up.
“We would always start our ordering process really before the current fourth,” shared Peart. “Like right now, our people are already buying for next year.”
Peart added that it’s too early to tell if these tariffs in 2025 will affect prices in 2026, but the retailer is nearly at the point where they can no longer wait to see if the tariffs will drop or go away. Early buying for 2026 is especially important because of the country’s significant anniversary.
“Next year is the country's 250th birthday, and the president has made no secret of the fact that he wants that to be a celebration like no one has ever seen,” Peart said.
Before tariffs impact that celebration too much, Peart hopes the firework industry can lobby for a tariff exemption.
“We have certainly done that, both in our state and at the national level, to do everything that we can to try to push that conversation upwards,” Peart said. “We have some cautious optimism that once again we’ll be included in that round of tariff exemptions.”
