From the time he could talk, Adam Shay started selling fireworks.

He recalled this recently on a humid summer day, under the air-conditioned protection of a small RV travel trailer set a couple hundred feet from the Eddie’s Fireworks tent in Spring Hill, where Adam now carries on what his parents started a half-century ago.

“I know there was a couple years where Dad was like, ‘You’re burning up all the profit,’” Adam said, laughing. “You know, because we were little kids, we were more interested in lighting fireworks than working.”

His parents, Eddie and Jennifer Shay, started Eddie’s Fireworks in 1976.

That first year, Eddie bought $500 worth of fireworks, set up shop in his uncle’s garage in Edgerton, and sold less than he bought.

No profit was made that year, and yet, they persisted — seeing the joy and smiles on people’s faces as they walked away with fireworks is what kept them coming back.

“The first five years my wife and I were in business, on the night of the Fourth, we’d say we’d never get into this business again,” Eddie said. “That was the first five years of our business, seriously. And sure enough, next year would come around, and we couldn’t not do it.

“There’s nothing like giving a small kid a pack of firecrackers and watching the smiles,” he added. “It’s more than just fireworks.”

Eddie was one of 13 children growing up. Times were tough and fireworks were a rarity when he was young. Since he started the business, he’s made it a point to give back to the community — a lesson he’s passed along to his children.

While Eddie and Jennifer still operate their La Cygne location, Adam and his wife, Ryn, took over operations at the family’s Osawatomie tent in 2008 and have since expanded into Spring Hill and Gardner.

Check out more of the family’s photos in an album here.

For Adam, who was born about five years after the business first began, some of his fondest memories have been tied to summers spent sleeping under the fireworks tent, talking with customers — quite a few of which have become lifelong friends — setting off fireworks and, much like his dad, bringing smiles to people’s faces.

“We get to sell smiles in a box,” Adam said. “That’s the motivation … When those kids are just so excited.”

What started with Eddie and Jennifer has now spanned three generations — their five children and now 14 grandchildren.

Their customers have spanned generations of families, too.

“We watched the little ones, and now they’re bringing in their grandkids,” Jennifer said, chatting with her son at the Spring Hill tent. “I didn’t get older, but they sure got older.”

“We haven’t changed a bit, huh, Mom?” Adam said.

“Nope,” Jennifer said, laughing.

Eddie’s started the year of American Bicentennial

During their first year of business 50 years ago, Jennifer was nearing her due date for her second pregnancy. When Eddie brought up the idea of selling fireworks, she was less than thrilled.

“When he came home and told me, I said, ‘No way,’” Jennifer said. “I said, ‘I’m going to have this baby before the Fourth.’”

Sure enough, Adam’s older brother was born July 2, 1976. Still, Eddie and Jennifer sold what they could that year with a one-and-a-half-year-old and newborn by their sides.

While the business hasn’t always been easy, Jennifer said, doing it year after year has been endlessly rewarding.

At first, it gave Eddie a little break from building houses. Eventually, the fireworks business started making a little profit, giving the family some extra income, Jennifer said.

While the money helped, selling fireworks was always more than that — it was about building and giving back to the community, to families who may not have extra funds for sparklers or access to fireworks on the Fourth.

“My favorite day is actually the fifth [of July],” Jennifer said. “We let [kids] 10 and under take a little lunch bag, and they get it filled up with loose stuff.”

Customers keep coming back

It’s been at least a decade since the Faunce family started coming to Eddie’s for their fireworks. The people and prices keep them coming back, despite a move from Spring Hill to Paola.

“They have great prices,” said Erica Faunce. “They’re always really easy to work with, they’re super friendly and have very helpful staff.”

Faunce and her husband have shopped around, but find themselves back at Eddie’s year after year.

“We’ve checked places in Missouri, here around Spring Hill, and this is where we always end up coming back to spend our money,” Faunce said.

Her son, Lane, 11, said his favorite part of the Fourth of July is getting to set off fireworks but likes getting to spend time with his family, too.

“I just really like spending time with my dad to pick out fireworks,” Lane said, adding that his favorite fireworks are mortars.

Getting to see repeat customers is always a gift, Adam said, adding that they’re more than customers.

“There’s so many friends I have that I only see one time a year,” Adam said. “That’s how it’s been forever.”

Looking ahead

Since the business started 50 years ago, the industry has changed.

The biggest differences, Adam said, include rising permit costs, from $25 to $1,500 in some places, and changing regulations. These costs and regulations, in part, led to Adam taking over the business in 2008. Eddie didn’t want to deal with the added politics and red tape, Jennifer said.

Additionally, the merchandise looks vastly different from what it did 50 years ago. Some fireworks are now banned, like bottle rockets, while others have gotten much larger.

Cases of fireworks didn’t exist when Eddie first started. Now, some fireworks packages can go for $500, the same amount he spent on his entire inventory that first year selling them.

Despite the changes and challenges, like years of drought or flooding that can reduce business, Adam wants to continue the legacy his parents built.

“I would love to see it go to my kids and my grandkids,” Adam said. “I know the lessons that I learned, so my kids are being able to learn some of those same lessons. It’s hard work, right? … So the value of it, an honest day’s work and an honest day’s pay, is really, it’s quite invaluable.”

Fifty years marks a long time, Eddie said, but it doesn’t feel that way; and with the United States’ 250th anniversary this year, that really puts things into perspective.

Adam and Jennifer agreed, adding that they owe a lot to God and their community. Now, Adam said, is a good time to be thankful for those who came before us.

“The overarching theme is us celebrating our independence,” Adam said. “We get to help people do that and remind us that, yeah, 250 years isn’t that long. Look at what we’ve been able to build and create.

“The Fourth of July,” he added, “in this day, it’s a great reminder for people [our founders] built one nation under God.”