Walk into the Knitter\u2019s Edge in Bethlehem and you immediately find yourself immersed in a colorful world.<\/p>\n
The store on West Broad Street bills itself as the largest yarn shop in Pennsylvania, specializing in fine yarns, along with such things as needles, hooks, books, magazines and wool wash. It offers classes for both the beginner and advanced knitter or crocheter. Co-owner Amanda Evans says customers come from all over the country, but the Knitter\u2019s Edge primarily serves enthusiasts from the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.<\/p>\n
Like many small businesses, the Knitter\u2019s Edge has been preparing for the potential effects of tariffs on its prices. So far, several Lehigh Valley companies said they haven\u2019t faced many adverse impacts or had to pass costs on to their customers, but they continue to try to get ahead of any problems.<\/p>\n
According to The Washington Post<\/a>, knitters and crocheters are dealing with a recent tax repeal of low-value imports by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n Parcels worth less than $800 are now subject to an additional 10% to 50% levy depending on the tariff rate of the country of origin. Because of the uncertainty, several countries have suspended deliveries to the U.S. Some of them are prime exporters of yarn, such as Denmark and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n Evans said the Knitter\u2019s Edge has yet to see any major changes in prices.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been stocking up on products before prices are impacted,\u201d said Evans, who co-owns the shop with her mother, JoAnne Turcotte. \u201cLuckily, most of our vendors give notice and we have been placing large orders so we can keep prices the same through the season. Honestly, a lot of the price increases we\u2019ve seen have been in line with yearly price increases.\u201d<\/p>\n Evans said many of the Knitter\u2019s Edge\u2019s vendors have absorbed costs, which also helped keep prices down.<\/p>\n Other small businesses that serve the Lehigh Valley \u2014 from pretzel makers to game designers \u2014 have noticed changes in recent months, and are trying to keep up with them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been fairly lucky, in that the tariffs we have experienced have been pretty minimal,\u201d said Misty Skolnick, co-owner of Uncle Jerry\u2019s Pretzels with her father, Jerry, who founded the company in 1988. The pretzels are made in Lancaster County and sold at locations in the Valley, including Whole Foods Market in Lower Macungie Township.<\/p>\n \u201cI think some of our labels have increased in price, our boxes have increased in price,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we get those price increases from our suppliers, they don\u2019t necessarily indicate that they\u2019re from tariffs. So if our flour goes up a little bit \u2026 it\u2019s a little bit unclear. We did have a price increase on our chocolate, again, from tariffs or other factors such as the general rising cost of things \u2026 so it\u2019s a little bit unclear.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, Skolnick said, the company has yet to pass costs to customers, though it has had to absorb a 10% increase in wheat prices.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad\u2019s and my approach is, don\u2019t buy into the hype until you get a letter from your supplier saying your pricing is changing,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you buy into the panic, you will have anxiety over things that may or may not happen. I think it\u2019s very important to be aware of what\u2019s going on and understand what\u2019s going on, but to change your business on hypotheticals, we try not to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Evans said the Knitter\u2019s Edge also gives customers domestic options, carrying several American-made products such as Appalachian Baby and Feederbook Farm.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love supporting other small businesses,\u201d she said. \u201cMany of our vendors are showing new yarn lines sourced from American mills.\u201d<\/p>\n