Shops that rely on imported products are trying to figure out how to weather the cost of tariffs and how to keep their shelves stocked.
“As materials’ cost balloon the way they have these past couple of weeks … I can’t continue to sell them at the prices that I was before,” said Isabel Dennis at KIMA Jewelry.
Joshua Costa is the owner of Sleep Well Recycling, a mattress recycling company based in Burlington, Vermont.
“We’re committed to rebuilding and continuing to support the community,” says Craig Sloane, general manager of Altadena Town & Country Club.
An on-the-ground look at how local business owners plan to rebuild after the devastation of the Eaton fire.
Firms with fewer than 10 people let workers go at the highest rate in February. Those businesses are more exposed to quick economic changes.
One issue: Managing the cost of repaying COVID-era loans that they took out to survive in 2020 and 2021.
“It feels like it’s been psychological torture,” said Daniella Velazquez de León, general manager of Organics Unlimited.
Though some proposed tariffs on Canadian imports have been delayed, business owners near the border are preparing for cost increases
This winter, Manu Powers of Sea Quest Hawaii dealt with low staffing and high surf advisories.
