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Wall Street Journal Features Youngstown's Phantom Fireworks
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Phantom Fireworks, the retail arm of B.J. Alan Co., the consumer fireworks company founded in 1979 by Bruce Zoldan, is featured prominently in today's edition of The Wall Street Journal. "Preparing for the Big Bang" headlines the glowing story that appears on the front page of the newspaper's Marketplace section and is illustrated with a full-color photograph of B.J. Alan Co.'s newly opened superstore on Market Street in North Lima. "We have 11 months of logistics for one month of selling," Zoldan told the world's No. 1 business newspaper. The Wall Street Journal story details how Zoldan and his brother, Alan, prepare for the July Fourth sales season. Writes reporter Gwendolyn Bounds, "The [business] cycle begins in late summer, when Alan, the company's executive vice president, flies to different cities across China to meet with fireworks manufacturers and hunt for the next big thing in bang."According to the article, "After the summer holiday, sales at some Phantom stores can plummet to around $5,000 a day from as much as $400,000 a day during peak season.B.J. Alan Co., which operates from its headquarters on Martin Luther King Boulevard, is privately held and as such does not release annual sales figures. It operates 41 stores across the United States and wholesales consumer fireworks sold in Kmart and Rite Aid stores. At Saturday's official grand opening of the 5,000-square-foot superstore in North Lima, Jerry Bostocky, vice president of sales for B.J. Alan Co., underscored the company's commitment to the Mahoning Valley. "Everything we do centers on Youngstown," he said. "Youngstown architects designed our new store, Youngstown contractors built it, and Youngstown people are employed here."READ WALL STREET JOURNAL STORYVisit Phantom Fireworks at www.fireworks.com"