TEMPE – Every year around the Fourth of July, pop-up fireworks stands begin to dot parking lots. Their vibrant signs and multiple options are a staple of the patriotic celebrations in metro Phoenix.
However, the range of people selling in them, from individual vendors to massive fundraisers, can be surprising.
Gibrael Atiyeh runs a SanTan Fireworks stand on Rural and Guadalupe roads in Tempe, in the parking lot of a Burger King. He started running the stand four years ago, when his friend asked him if he wanted the job…