The History of POPPER'S FIREWORKS
I am often asked how I became interested in the fireworks business. You know, I am not really sure when
it started for me, I do know I was like any other kid who likes to set firecrackers underneath his army
man set up and watch the dirt blow up around them! I have always had an interest in starting my own
business and right after college, my fireworks business began.
It all started in 1993, when I purchased an old chicken shed for $25, talked my brothers into fixing it and
painting it red, white and blue. This seemed to work out pretty well. My girlffriend, Barby and I did this
for a couple of seasons and soon realized the friendships, relationships and service level we had developed
with our customers had brought in more customers! Our little Firecrack Shack needed to grow.
In 1995, there was a lot to write about. First, we built a large garage on my parents farm, right next to
the chicken shack. Barb and I felt it was important to get out from behind the counter and let our
customers walk through a "grocery store type" layout. Of course, this also allowed us to inventory a
much larger selection as well. That same year, I was also asked to put on a fireworks show after an
American Legion Baseball Game. This show would consist of an assortment of product from the POPPER'S
shelf. Being my first show ever, I had to make a good impression. This was the first time in over 20
years that Milbank was going to have a show again. In the end, I think I succeeded , as the finale
consisted of asking Barby to come out of the stands and meet me at homeplate. With a big heart shaped
sign lit with sparklers reading Mark + Barby , I got down on one knee and proposed to my wife to
be.......and the rest was history.....or so it began!!!
The following year, I was asked again to do a fireworks show for the City of Milbank and this time it would
be at Lake Farley Park. Now I had to think of how to make this event bigger and better. The show
consisted of quickfusing several shelf items on a long plank and firing them in succession. The crowd was
impressed and so was I..... now that I had a couple of shows under my belt. This worked pretty well for
a couple of years, but I knew that I had to bring a better event to the community.
In 1999, I recieved my PGI (Pyrotechnics Guild International) certificate which certified me as a trained
pyrotechnic. That same year, I began working with a local team, a.k.a. The PYRO CREW, who also
received training and were also interested in putting together a fireworks show. This is when the big
show began as we now moved from Consumer FIreworks( Class C) to Display Fireworks (Class B). We were
on to having one of the best shows in that part of the state with some shells sizing as large as 12" in
diameter!
In 2001, POPPER'S FIREWORKS opened our second store right on the South Dakota/Minnesota border.
This location allowed us to bring in a larger assortment of product, as now we could share our inventory
among both places. We also found that many of our customers were coming back year after year, and it
seemed like every 4th of July season was a family reunion!!
In 2007, we moved our Milbank location a few hundred feet to the west of our old building. We felt it was
important to offer more room to shop and keep our product selection high as well as work on future plans
to make the shopping experience better in air conditioned comfort.
Another advancement was made that year with the Milbank show, as an electornic firing board and
equipment was donated by the Bracht family to the fire department in an effort to promote safety. Not
only did the show become a safer situation in the field, but I now could script and choriograph our show to
music. The local radio station had gotten involved in broadcasting the event in real time. The crowds
began to get larger and larger every year as the trial and error of a once a season performance began to
look and sound pretty good!!! Today, the Milbank Fireworks Show is rated one of "the best" in the State!!!
Today, POPPER'S FIREWORKS continues to strive to be the best in new products, outstanding service and
professional advice in fireworks safety. We enjoy coming back to Milbank not only to work our retail
stands, but most importantly to visit with family and friends and give back to the community that has truly
earned it's motto "YOU'LL LIKE MILBANK"!!!
Thank you for your patronage......see you soon!
Mark Popowski
POPPER'S FIREWORKS
I am often asked how I became interested in the fireworks business. You know, I am not really sure when
it started for me, I do know I was like any other kid who likes to set firecrackers underneath his army
man set up and watch the dirt blow up around them! I have always had an interest in starting my own
business and right after college, my fireworks business began.
It all started in 1993, when I purchased an old chicken shed for $25, talked my brothers into fixing it and
painting it red, white and blue. This seemed to work out pretty well. My girlffriend, Barby and I did this
for a couple of seasons and soon realized the friendships, relationships and service level we had developed
with our customers had brought in more customers! Our little Firecrack Shack needed to grow.
In 1995, there was a lot to write about. First, we built a large garage on my parents farm, right next to
the chicken shack. Barb and I felt it was important to get out from behind the counter and let our
customers walk through a "grocery store type" layout. Of course, this also allowed us to inventory a
much larger selection as well. That same year, I was also asked to put on a fireworks show after an
American Legion Baseball Game. This show would consist of an assortment of product from the POPPER'S
shelf. Being my first show ever, I had to make a good impression. This was the first time in over 20
years that Milbank was going to have a show again. In the end, I think I succeeded , as the finale
consisted of asking Barby to come out of the stands and meet me at homeplate. With a big heart shaped
sign lit with sparklers reading Mark + Barby , I got down on one knee and proposed to my wife to
be.......and the rest was history.....or so it began!!!
The following year, I was asked again to do a fireworks show for the City of Milbank and this time it would
be at Lake Farley Park. Now I had to think of how to make this event bigger and better. The show
consisted of quickfusing several shelf items on a long plank and firing them in succession. The crowd was
impressed and so was I..... now that I had a couple of shows under my belt. This worked pretty well for
a couple of years, but I knew that I had to bring a better event to the community.
In 1999, I recieved my PGI (Pyrotechnics Guild International) certificate which certified me as a trained
pyrotechnic. That same year, I began working with a local team, a.k.a. The PYRO CREW, who also
received training and were also interested in putting together a fireworks show. This is when the big
show began as we now moved from Consumer FIreworks( Class C) to Display Fireworks (Class B). We were
on to having one of the best shows in that part of the state with some shells sizing as large as 12" in
diameter!
In 2001, POPPER'S FIREWORKS opened our second store right on the South Dakota/Minnesota border.
This location allowed us to bring in a larger assortment of product, as now we could share our inventory
among both places. We also found that many of our customers were coming back year after year, and it
seemed like every 4th of July season was a family reunion!!
In 2007, we moved our Milbank location a few hundred feet to the west of our old building. We felt it was
important to offer more room to shop and keep our product selection high as well as work on future plans
to make the shopping experience better in air conditioned comfort.
Another advancement was made that year with the Milbank show, as an electornic firing board and
equipment was donated by the Bracht family to the fire department in an effort to promote safety. Not
only did the show become a safer situation in the field, but I now could script and choriograph our show to
music. The local radio station had gotten involved in broadcasting the event in real time. The crowds
began to get larger and larger every year as the trial and error of a once a season performance began to
look and sound pretty good!!! Today, the Milbank Fireworks Show is rated one of "the best" in the State!!!
Today, POPPER'S FIREWORKS continues to strive to be the best in new products, outstanding service and
professional advice in fireworks safety. We enjoy coming back to Milbank not only to work our retail
stands, but most importantly to visit with family and friends and give back to the community that has truly
earned it's motto "YOU'LL LIKE MILBANK"!!!
Thank you for your patronage......see you soon!
Mark Popowski
POPPER'S FIREWORKS
| est. 2007 |
| est. 1996 |
| est. 1993 |
| A audio player should show up to the left of this box and it will tell the story of the origin of our National Anthem |