GALLATIN COUNTY — If you’ve driven around Gallatin County recently, you’ve likely noticed the many fireworks stands popping up ahead of the Fourth of July.
One of them is Bobcat Discount Fireworks, a family-owned business that has spent decades building a loyal customer base.
WATCH: Inside a 30-year Montana fireworks stand before the Fourth
“We started our stand in 1996, so 30 years,” said Renee Tofslie.
Tofslie, a longtime fireworks expert, said she got into the business through her husband’s work with a local wholesaler.
“My husband worked for a wholesaler who was locally here a number of years ago,” Tofslie said. “And they offered options if you wanted to operate a stand. So we waited a couple of years and decided, ‘Yeah, let’s try it.’”
Now, the business is booming, though Tofslie said the road to success was not easy.
“This is our fifth year here,” she said. “We were 14 years down the road. And then we were up 19th before a lot of that development was there.”
Bobcat Discount Fireworks is currently located off East Valley Center Road, across from Border Lane, outside Bozeman city limits. In 2023, the city passed Ordinance No. 2134, banning fireworks other than sparklers.
“Did that change up your business at all?” I asked.
“Very much so, yes,” Tofslie said. “It really took us back several years for business because Bozeman was completely shut down.”
Despite that setback, the fireworks industry continues to grow. According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, consumer fireworks sales reached nearly $2.2 billion in 2023, with more than 246 million pounds purchased.
Those numbers made sense on July 3, the stand’s busiest day of the year. But preparing for that rush takes months of work.
“How much of the year are you working on the stand?” I asked.
“I would say about four months,” Tofslie said.
That work goes into preparing for roughly two weeks of business each year.
“So it’s looking at product, going to shows, seeing the product actually shot live,” she said. “And then you’re creating your inventory as you go.”
Every firework sold at the stand is handpicked by Tofslie. It’s a craft Tofslie has spent the last 30 years perfecting, and she said the relationships she has built with customers remain the most rewarding part of the job.
“The best part for me is my customers and the customer rapport that I’ve had over 30 years that I’ve been building,” she said.
That connection was apparent among returning customers.
“We’ve been here, I think, five or six years in a row,” one customer said. “We really like it. Everyone’s friendly and helpful.”
With Independence Day celebrations underway, Tofslie’s message to customers is simple:
“Have a great Fourth of July.”
