SAVANNAH, Ga (WSAV) - Local small business owners are concerned about the tariffs being put on Chinese imports and how it could affect them.
As of recently, President Donald Trump imposed a 10 percent tax on Chinese imports. With an industry dependent on materials such as fabrics, small businesses are bracing for impact.
Many Savannah business owners like Trish Brown, the owner of Trish B Stylin' Design, are starting to feel a financial pinch.
“…most of our clients are bridal and prom clients and a lot of the materials that we source in order to be, conscious of my client's budget, most of the materials that we source do come from China,” Brown said.
She has already informed her clients that prices may jump during the anticipated prom season.
“In fact, I actually had to turn away two clients because I just wasn't comfortable starting new projects, not knowing where the state of our goods are going to be with China,” she expressed.
Nicole Mason, the CEO of Ivory and Beau, shared similar concerns. She told us if designers are forced to increase their costs significantly, they will have to pass those prices on to customers.
“I think the tariff's biggest impact on the bridal industry will be how the cost increase of certain supplies, such as zippers and fabrics such as silks and laces.”
Proposed tariffs are leaving business owners with more questions than answers.
“Do I even want to source fabrics from there even though I know they're great quality and the cost is very, very manageable for my business,” Brown said. “Now, I may have to just increase my costs overall to account for the fact that I have to source from other countries that also still may have tariffs imposed.”