Firework shop prepares for season with new law, tariff challenges

Yahoo

10 hours ago

MITCHELLVILLE, Iowa — A local fireworks shop had to put in some extra work this season as they faced tariff challenges and new legislation that expanded local firework opportunities.
Sipma Farms sits just outside Mitchellville and started selling fireworks in 2017 after they were legalized in Iowa for commercial and private use. A veteran-owned and small business, they pride themselves on giving back to the community and helping customers know how to safely handle their fireworks.
'That's one of the great things about what we do. You'll see that we treat you like family. We do. I don't judge anybody who's never shot up a firework before or anyone who buys more than they probably should, everybody has their own way of celebrating,' said Tim Sipma, Sipma Farms Owner. 'There are instructions on every one of these, and we walk through how things work. If you have any questions, we're more than happy to answer them.'
However, this year SF 303, a new law that prevents cities and counties from enforcing ordinances banning the use of fireworks on July 3rd and 4th December 31st, was passed.
Many spoke against it, saying it opened the door for people to use them irresponsibly, while supporters of the bill said it was necessary to allow Iowans to fully participate in next year's 250th anniversary celebrations. Sipma Farms says they are already seeing an impact.
'What we've seen is there's a lot more people that are starting to say, okay, that's great, we can go out and buy fireworks now,' said Sipma. 'We've actually had some new customers come in. So I'm assuming that's the reason why, or at least one of the reasons why, and then some coming from the different cities that have issued bans in the past. So it's starting to pick up steam.'
However, while the opportunity is available, the fireworks may not be, or at least not at their usual cost. Most fireworks come from overseas and have been put at risk of trade tariffs, resulting in some price hikes at certain vendors. Sipma Farms saw the risks and made sure to buy theirs early.
'I think pretty much everybody kind of panicked a little bit, we already had ours purchased. So, we don't need to increase our prices due to tariffs. We're going to keep our prices from last year in the same price we've had since, I think, 2022. We've frozen our prices, and I think it's going to help us out a little bit. But there are people out there who probably are going to have to increase their prices significantly because of the tariffs.'
A majority of firework stalls open their doors during the first week of June, but Sipma Farms says they don't see the bulk of their customers till the week before the holiday. Sipma Farms Fireworks is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until July 4th.
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