‘Nobody wins’: Bellingham business owners discuss local impacts of Trump’s proposed tariffs
A recent nationwide survey found that 30% of small business owners believe President Trump’s tariffs will lower their revenue, and The Herald reached out to Bellingham business owners to hear their thoughts.
President Trump has placed a 10% tariff on goods from China and has proposed a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, although the border-country tariffs have been postponed until March, according to recent reporting by McClatchy.
Through implementing the tariffs, the President hopes to reduce the amount of contraband drugs coming into the United States, stop illegal immigration, and use tariffs as “a powerful, proven source of leverage for protecting the national interest” and ”put Americans’ safety and our national security first,” according to a report from The White House.
But many fear that once these tariffs are enforced, prices of every day goods for Americans will sharply increase.
A recent survey by Alignable, a small business networking website, polled 3,718 business owners about the proposed tariffs.
When asked if they believed the tariffs would negatively affect their revenue, the small business owners had a variety of responses. Here’s a breakdown:
- 40% of small business owners said they expect no impact
- 30% anticipate revenue losses from the tariffs
- 15% expect significant revenue declines
- 18% anticipated boosts in sales
- 9% expected substantial revenue gains through the tariffs
- 12% were uncertain of how the tariffs would affect their revenue
In terms of concern over the tariffs,
Thirty-nine percent of Washington business owners reported being concerned about the tariffs, second only to Minnesota and 40%, according to the survey.
Bellingham reactions
When asked how they expect the tariffs to impact their revenue, two Bellingham business owners said they expect a major revenue decline, while one owner is expecting a minor decline.
“Everything is so unknown,” said Kelly Evert, co-owner of Village Books and Paper Dreams in the Fairhaven neighborhood. “I feel like, yes, tariffs will absolutely impact our business and many other businesses. We are already receiving communications from our vendors that prices, shipping and service charges will be increasing from 10-25% because of the tariffs. This will either limit our offerings, force us to raise prices, or reduce our already thin margin that we operate on.”
“Quite a few products at Bloomhaven are imported from Mexico, Canada and beyond,” said Molly Flynn, founder and co-owner of Bloomhaven Bottle Shop in Bellingham. “My business deals with products which already cost quite a bit to produce, ship and stock. These tariffs will force me to raise prices for our guests, while also absorbing some of the costs myself. Nobody wins in this scenario.”
Hugh Newmark, co-owner and operator of 1-Up Lounge and Cardhaven Games, said he has experienced a decline in Canadian customers since President Trump’s inauguration.
“At Cardhaven, we’ve been feeling the impacts since day one,” Newmark said. “Prices are up on every single thing we sell. There’s no availability because manufacturers are now sending less product to the USA, and sadly we’re seeing virtually none of our well-established Canadian clientele we’ve built over the years.”
As many local businesses pride themselves in carrying products made locally or in the United States, tariffs could still impact businesses and products behind the scenes.
“Even if something is made in America, the box it is displayed in may be made in another country, and the glue that holds it together is made overseas, or the book that is printed by a publisher in one area may need the ink that is in another,” Evert said.
“I have a non-alcoholic tobalá called Tomonotomo that comes from a BIPOC woman named Amanda in Oaxaca (Mexico),” Flynn said. “Approximately 99% of Amanda’s sales come from the United States. With the tariffs imposed on Mexico and the mounting tension between our two countries, I have to wonder how her small business will survive.”
“On the 1-Up Lounge wide, I don’t think many of our physical products are directly impacted, as so much of what we serve is local, but it’s only a matter of time before the increases impact the suppliers we use,” Newmark said.
“Trump’s tariffs will force small businesses to raise prices, and that will hurt both the customers and the small businesses they love,” Flynn said. “I anticipate that we’ll see a lot of restaurants, bars, local grocery stores and other small businesses (possibly even mine) have to permanently close as a result.”
Are you a business owner, entrepreneur, or citizen of Whatcom County who would like to weigh in on this topic? Please fill out the form below. We’d love to hear from you.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
