(The following is a transcription of our broadcast story, with additional details added for web)
With America's birthday one week away now, it's like Christmas approaching for shops like fireworks stores and meat markets. We stopped in to one of each, to find out how much you can expect to spend on fireworks and more, this Independence Day compared to last year.
Watch Karl Winter's broadcast story here:
At Boom 92 Fireworks Company in Ashwaubenon, business is booming.
The shops just expanded its showroom of the shop this year, which allowed the owner to keep prices down — buying product, mainly made in China, before tariffs went into effect.
"We ordered a lot of our fireworks early in the year, which allowed us to avoid all those tariffs," manager Brooke Blok said.
Prices range from $2 or less for sparklers and smoke sticks, to nearly $300 for the biggest packages.
"If a family is buying the same things this year as they did last year, what can they expect to spend, in comparison with the two [years]?" NBC 26 asked Blok.
"Our prices haven't changed at all," she said. "We haven't touched a single price."
Another Fourth of July staple is meat, of course, and down at Jacobs Meat Market in Appleton, it's a bit of a different story.
"If they're sticking with the same product as they did last year, [prices are] probably 10 to 15% higher," owner Luke Jacobs said.
Jacobs says beef and chicken costs are up this year, so people might want to be creative for their barbecues.
"Pork has become the best kind of value as far as that goes, out of the three major meats," he said. "So, you know, some people are sticking with the pork chops, or pork roast, or ribs."
But the Fourth is still America's number one grilling holiday, according to Jacobs — and back at the fireworks shop, they say spirits are still high.
"People really do love to celebrate," Blok said, "and with it falling on [Friday] this year, people still get to watch the the big city shows, but then they also get to do all their own fun fireworks. So, it's a very good market."
Boom 92 has extended hours from now through the week of the Fourth of July, before they wind down and then build back up for America's 250th birthday next year. The store is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through July 7. Its location and more details can be found here.
Jacobs Meat Market offers weekly specials that can be found at its website here.
