Published: July 02, 2008 12:16 am         

An explosive family tradition

By Brad Kellar

Herald-Banner Staff



There are fireworks stands open along roadsides all over Hunt County and North Texas this time of year.

Then there is the warehouse which is operated by the Nelson family, a giant enclosed and air-conditioned operation just outside of Caddo Mills.

There are people who, at this time of year, visit those roadside stands and spend cash on an armload of various fireworks to put on their own displays in their back yards, where it is legally permissible of course.

Then there is Jimmy Masters of Sulphur Springs, who on a Friday afternoon is in the middle of buying around a dozen overloaded shopping carts full of the biggest, brightest and loudest fireworks which can be obtained by non-pyrotechnic professionals. Masters is buying at least one of just about every major item Roy Nelson has on his shelves and on his sales floor, in some cases several of those, for a July 4 show Masters is producing at the Sulphur Springs Country Club.

As he stood in line to check out, Masters was happy to admit he was spending thousands of dollars.

“This is nothing professional, this is personal,” Masters said. “I just come here and we get stuff off the shelves, just do it to it.”

Roy Nelson, the manager of the store, has been personally assisting Masters and suggesting items, all of which Masters quickly grabs. Nelson also gives recommendations on where during the planned 30-minute show Masters should set off which display for maximum impact.

Nelson should have a pretty good idea on how to put on a show. He and his brother Rex co-own several similar operations in North Texas, including one in Rockwall. They used to put on their own shows, starting about 15 years ago, on the family farm just behind the Caddo Mills location at the Intersection of Interstate 30 and Farm-To-Market Road 1903. In fact, the warehouse is still referred to as “The Farm”, Nelson said.

The displays the brothers gave became bigger and bigger, and drew more and more people, to where it started costing a lot of money to produce. Then Roy had an idea.

“I said, ‘Next year, let’s open up a fireworks stand,’” Nelson said, thinking the sales from fireworks would pay for the family shows. “That first year, we shot off everything that didn’t sell.”

The family’s fireworks stand also grew larger and larger until they decided to enclose and air-condition the whole operation, becoming the first indoor stand in Texas. Rex runs the Rockwall “Megastore” location, while Roy’s son Rudy runs the location along Highway 114 in Roanoke.

“That’s the biggest one in the state,” Nelson said. “It runs in the family. You can make some good money with fireworks, but you won’t get rich. It’s put my kids through college.”

The long line of Masters’ shopping carts were stacked with fireworks and rockets labeled “Thunder Dome”, “Noizy Boyz”, “Mr. Big”, “Tuxedo Nights” and “Corporate Raider-You’re Fired!” He even included a roll of 16,000 “Black Cat” firecrackers for good measure.

As the two men wandered around the store, with Nelson giving advice on what to buy and Masters readily agreeing to buy whatever is recommended, it is clear that these two men simply love fireworks.

And for Masters, there is no other place to buy what he loves.

“I’ve been coming here since 1999,” Masters said. “I met Rex and we just worked a deal. I just keep coming.”

Masters said, however, his hobby is feeling the impact of the current economy.

“I used to put on two shows every year, and I’m only doing one now,” Masters said. “Fuel’s gotten a little expensive, so I’ve got to hold back some.”

As the register continues to ring, the purchases are loaded onto a king cab pick-up truck, quickly and completely filling the entire cargo bed and the back seat. Masters still has more than four shopping carts full of items which haven’t yet been rung up. There is a brief pause as Masters realizes he will have to make more than one trip to Sulphur Springs and back to get it all, but the realization doesn’t slow him down.

“Come on, I’m not done buying yet,” he said as he grabbed Nelson’s arm.

Finally, after more than 90 minutes, Masters has purchased all of the major displays Nelson has, about half of which will be stored in a back room until Masters’ return.

The grand total — with a discount — comes to almost $3,500.

“I got out cheaper this year than I did last year, and I got more stuff this time,” Masters said. Plus, he and his son Luke and their friend Steve Littlefield, who helped load the pickup, all received free “Black Cat” T-shirts.

Aside from regular customers like Masters, Nelson said this year’s sales have been about average.

“Last year was terrific,” Nelson said, as it was one of the wettest summers in local history, which encouraged people to buy and shoot more fireworks without being scared of setting off fires. Previous summers had been too dry, with some aerial rocket fireworks banned.

He is hopeful that business will pick up before Friday’s end to the annual 10-day sales period leading up to July 4.

“If it just rains two more times, everybody will want to shoot fireworks,” Nelson said. “Fireworks do start fires in dry grass, no doubt about it.”