Tariffs on imported goods are starting to hit home for several Logan County business owners, with rising costs on everything from specialty items to basic materials making it harder to keep prices steady for customers.
Some local retailers say the tariffs have forced them to rethink supply chains or even delay long-planned expansion efforts.
Others are warning that if costs continue to climb, those increases may soon be passed on to consumers.
In downtown Bellefontaine, Mandy Osterfeld, owner of The Fun Company, is already feeling the pressure.
Many of the toys she stocks come from China, and to keep prices stable, she says she’s had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on inventory — money originally set aside for building improvements and upgrades.
Osterfeld also noted that while she’s been able to absorb most of the added costs so far, she has had to raise prices on a few items in her store.
For now, those increases have been minimal and limited.
Osterfeld talks more about how her business is impacted:
Sarah Lewis from Native Coffee says she has seen costs increase on a few items.
Beth Zell from Sweet Aromas, also in Downtown Bellefontaine, says her increases happened just as a coincidence and happened earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, Dennis Schaub, Owner of Fast Track Signs, says,
“In our sign business, the two primary materials we use are the ‘substrate’, the surface we apply graphics to, and the vinyl graphics themselves. One of our most common substrates is aluminum, and we’ve seen aluminum prices rising steadily over the past few years. While I can’t say with certainty how much of that is directly due to tariffs, several of our suppliers have attributed the increases to them. We also occasionally use metal letters, and those prices have jumped noticeably as well. Many vendors cite tariffs as the cause. As for vinyl, the price has more than doubled since COVID. Again, suppliers often point to tariffs as a major contributing factor. Just yesterday, 3M, one of our largest suppliers, announced new national price increases taking effect July 1. Based on past experience, a formal announcement usually signals a significant adjustment, especially since prices have already been creeping up for months.”
For businesses that rely heavily on imported parts or specialty goods, the impact is already evident in their bottom lines.
Honda relies heavily on imported parts and raw materials like steel and aluminum.
As businesses navigate uncharted waters when it comes to products originating from outside the United States, many are closely watching — hoping for policy changes in the months ahead.
