By Judi Cooper with Jennifer Bailey

On the side of Jefferson Highway close to Buckner Road in Bumpass, a modest fireworks stand holds more than sparklers and bottle rockets—it holds the legacy of a family and a community landmark seven decades strong.

Photos by Kristin Flint

The Talley siblings at the stand, Chris with the roofing truck his father once drove daily.

Now run by Chris Talley, the stand first began as a humble country store built by his grandmother, Mary Bell Stanley. “She framed up a little stick building with sawdust in the walls to keep ice,” Chris recalled. “She sold produce, watermelons, tomatoes… but really, it was a front for moonshine.” His grandfather had several stills operating in the area, and what appeared to be a produce stand was part of a larger operation running nickel drinks, pints, and gallons out of rural Louisa County.

While the moonshine faded into history, the fireworks stayed.

Mary Bell ran the stand until the late 1990s, when Chris’s father built her a new one. She operated it a few more years before passing the torch to him. Chris’s father ran the stand for decades—alongside his roofing business—until his passing in October. Now, Chris is the third generation to keep the tradition alive.

“We’re only open for the Fourth of July,” Chris said. “We don’t do it for the money. It’s been here so long—people know it. They use it as a landmark: ‘Go past the fireworks stand on Buckner Road.’”

Chris also owns and operates a metal panel manufacturing business that supplies high-end architectural roofing and wall systems, a continuation of his father’s roofing legacy dating back to 1969. “People still call me and say, ‘We trusted your daddy.’ I’ve been lucky—they trust me too.”

Now, with three of the six siblings from the second generation still maintaining the fireworks stand, Chris says it’s about honoring the past while looking ahead. “Hopefully we’re here to stay another 50 years. You don’t have to be big to have something people care about.”

While visiting the site, someone even pulled in hoping to buy fireworks—weeks before the Fourth. It’s clear the little stand on Buckner Road is more than a seasonal shop. It’s a symbol of staying power, small-town roots, and the kind of place where memories are made, one firecracker at a time.

Jen Bailey

Hi! I’m Jennifer Bailey and I partner with entrepreneurs who have massive ideas that could change the world. Most marketing is meaningless. Filled with empty promises, its only job is to bring in new traffic, new leads, and new customers. But I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’ve learned that marketing can do so much more than reach business goals and build profit. My methods give businesses the fire and soul they need to reach the right people, set the groundwork for sustainable relationships, and offer true value to the people on both the giving and receiving ends of marketing.

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