ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Trump administration’s tariffs on Canadian goods, imposed earlier this year, forced some suppliers to the north to stop shipping products to the United States. That’s making it harder for some tattoo shops to get the supplies they need.
A Rochester tattoo parlor owner found that out recently when he went to re-stock. The pop-up on his laptop tells the story.
“This is what I was greeted with,” said Adrien Moses Clark, owner of Axe of Kindness Tattoo in Rochester.
When he went to place an order from a longtime supplier based in Canada, the message on the site said, “Attention U.S. artists. You will not be able to check out today.”
The reason given: U.S. tariffs on Canadian products.
“Definitely caused just a little bit of a scramble,” said Clark, who has been a tattoo artist for more than two decades.
Clark orders from two suppliers in Canada, he says, because of the quality and the price. Products are subject to tariffs, which those suppliers say they can no longer absorb. Trump said on Saturday that he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10% because of an anti-tariff television ad aired by the province of Ontario.
“I have definitely noticed an increase in some different prices,” said Clark.
Clark says he preemptively stocked up on tattoo supplies before tariffs took effect earlier this year. He didn’t anticipate this situation.
“No, not at all,” he said. “I did not expect this.”
Clark says he has been able to buy different items from American suppliers who are also charging more. It’s a cost increase he says he is not passing on to clients.
“My cost, what I charge, is based on my experience and my skill level,” he said. “Not on my products. If I take a hit on my products, it is what it is.”
Clark says the tariff situation is an inconvenience more than anything.
“I typically just kind of roll with the punches,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.