A Colorado family has been making big strides in their fireworks business in recent years, thanks to a relatively new storefront in Wyoming. The Elliott family built Artillery World Fireworks just north of the Colorado-Wyoming border and plans to sell fireworks to Coloradans, even though they’re illegal to sell in the Centennial State.
Coloradans have long traveled to Wyoming to buy fireworks they can’t get in Colorado, but now when they cross into Wyoming they’re greeted by a big white building covered in signs boasting about the owner’s Colorado ties.
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Pete Elliott owns a fireworks company that his father started in Colorado in the 1960s. Since then, he’s expanded the business throughout the state and now into Wyoming.
And, following tradition, Pete continues to include his family in the company’s success today.
Working at the Wyoming store is a 13-year-old girl with a big personality and a managerial work ethic: Pete’s daughter, Aubrey Elliott, is one of four children who help out in the family business.
“I know how to sell, I know how to run a cash register, all that kind of stuff, so I love helping out when I can,” Aubrey told CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas.
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Aubrey says he loves working in his family’s store during the first half of the summer, and after a few years there he has gained a wealth of business knowledge that has been an asset to his father, his coworkers and customers.
She gave Thomas a tour of the three-building warehouse where they store their fireworks, detailing which fireworks are legal in Colorado and why, then she walked him through other buildings filled with fireworks that are illegal in Colorado, explaining how fireworks work and why they’re considered dangerous or illegal in Colorado.
Aubrey was a prime example of a family that loved their business.
“I have a brother who is a natural pyrotechnician,” Aubrey said.
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Having family members who want to work in the family business is beneficial for the family, especially in areas where the company is still established.
“It’s great to be running a family-owned business, especially these days,” Pete said.
“We’re not from Wyoming, so it’s always hard to find help here,” Aubrey said.
While it may be hard to find staff to work the concession stand, located in a rural area east of Interstate 25 and just north of the border, finding customers isn’t.
“We had a line all the way to the warehouse,” Aubrey said, “and we have a lot of customers who come from Colorado. A lot of the people who come here say they love that we’re a Colorado company. It’s really important to them to come here.”
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Aubrey said she was excited and enjoyed the successful conclusion to the Fourth of July season, but is looking forward to spending the rest of the summer back home near Denver with friends.
“I love it here because I love helping people, but I miss home,” Aubrey said.
