BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – As more of President Donald Trump’s tariffs go into effect, some Bryan businesses are bracing for impact.
After months of speculation and delays, the long-promised tariffs officially went into effect Thursday just after midnight. More than 60 countries became subject to tariff rates of 10% or higher. India and Brazil are facing 50% tariff rates.
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These tariffs have already impacted local businesses like The Frame Gallery in Downtown Bryan.
“Our prices have definitely gone up. The moldings that we source- the majority of them come from Italy and some of them come from places like the Czech Republic, Taiwan, other areas in Asia,” custom framer and designer for The Frame Gallery, Morgan Allen, explained. “Because of the tariffs, our distributors have had to increase the prices, which ultimately means that we have to increase our prices for what we provide our customers.”
Allen’s Taiwan products are subject to a 20% tax. She said her small business is doing its best to keep prices down, but those goods were impacted almost immediately after the tariffs went into effect.
“Custom framing can sometimes be pricey, and so we try our best to keep things within a particular budget. Anytime that there’s a price increase, we have to readjust our expectations and sometimes even we’re shocked from behind the counter. So, we’re trying to get familiar with our product and readjust what we expect when we’re suggesting a certain product to customers,” said Allen.
While it’s mostly the moldings that Allen has noticed a price increase on, the acrylic paint and glass prices have also increased.
Other local businesses that are bracing for impact are some coffee shops. What’s the Buzz in Bryan is owned by Rodrigo Chavez, who said he’s learned how to mitigate price fluctuations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We learned through COVID that it was important to have a good amount of coffee for at least six to eight months. That gives us more stability on being able to not to increase the price every six months or every eight months. So, we try to maintain our prices,” he clarified.
What’s the Buzz gets around 20% of its coffee from Brazil, because Chavez said it’s more economical. With the latest round of tariffs, imports from Brazil are subject to a 50% tax rate. Chavez said he would be open to sourcing his coffee from another country if prices increased too much.
“We use [Brazilian coffee], sometimes, for certain blends to keep the coffee prices, but we can adjust with other coffees,” shared Chavez.
Having a backstock of coffee allows What’s the Buzz to maintain its prices for now.
“We want to let the temperature drop a little bit and have enough coffee while those arrangements are being made and kind of finalize the numbers on the tariffs. If they happen to be a higher number, then we will have to adjust [the] prices,” he warned. “But for at least six months, we’re just going to kind of sit and watch we what we have, and hopefully, that will give us enough time for the tariffs to settle down, and we’ll have a better judgment.”
Allen said she hopes that while the economy and prices fluctuate, people will continue to shop and support local businesses.
“We just hope that our customers value local businesses supporting their community,” added Allen.
The White House released a list on July 31, of countries that will be impacted by tariffs and by how much.
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