St. George \u2022 Wilding Wallbeds was awaiting a shipment of metal mechanisms from China this summer \u2014 pieces needed to move the company\u2019s signature Murphy beds up and down \u2014 when it got an unwelcome surprise. <\/p>\n
The company was expecting to pay a 30% tariff on the shipment. But before the mechanisms arrived, the U.S. had tacked on an additional 50% tariff on steel from China, leaving the St. George business<\/a> on the hook for another $50,000, said Braxten Wilding, the company\u2019s vice president.<\/p>\n Given the backlog of orders that had already been paid for, Wilding said the business had little recourse other than to eat the additional cost.<\/p>\n \u201cWe couldn\u2019t go back to customers and say, \u2018Hey, we know we charged you this much, but now we have to charge you a little more,\u2019\u201d Wilding said. <\/p>\n The surprise cost was just one example of the uncertainty and unpredictability the Trump administration\u2019s tariff spat with China has caused since the start of his second term. Wilding Wallbeds has seen its profits dip by roughly 10% since, limiting the family-owned business\u2019s cash flow and ability to plan or invest in expansions, Wilding said. <\/p>\n For Wilding, it\u2019s also a cost he says the company has to endure. The company sources the wood used for its Murphy beds from the Pacific Northwest. But, it has to import the metal mechanisms from China because there is no American manufacturer. <\/p>\n Wilding said the company pays China in advance for the mechanisms, but never knows what tariff will be assessed at the port of entry in the U.S., given the volatility of the tariff situation between the two nations.<\/p>\n (Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) Vice president of finance Brexton Wilding at Wilding Wallbeds in St. George, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen [the mechanisms] get to port and we get hit with an unexpected tariff,\u201d he said, \u201cwe can\u2019t say we don\u2019t want the product because we already paid for it. So we have to pay up, however much it ends up being.\u201d<\/p>\n Due to the unpredictability of the tariffs, Wilding added, company officials constantly monitor the news to stay abreast of the latest changes to the U.S. and China\u2019s tariff policies, but are hard-pressed to determine the difference between what is authoritative and what is just verbal sparring between the two countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tariffs are changing so quickly and often we are constantly reaching out to our freight brokers to help us understand how the changes might impact us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are often buying things without really knowing what we will be paying, which reduces our profits and causes cash flow concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n While company officials say they understand the tariffs are aimed at bolstering American manufacturing, they say the levies are taxing on small-to-medium-sized businesses like theirs.<\/p>\n Wilding Wallbeds is not alone in feeling the tariff pinch. According to a recent analysis<\/a> by S&P Global, Trump\u2019s tariffs will cost global businesses roughly $1.2 trillion this year, a third of which will be borne by companies and the remainder on consumers. According to The Tax Foundation<\/a>, the tariffs will raise taxes on U.S. households by an average of $1,100 in 2025 and $1,400 in 2026.<\/p>\n A difficult position<\/p>\n John Gilbert, an economics professor at Utah State University\u2019s Huntsman School of Business, said the tariffs place businesses like Wilding Wallbeds in a difficult position.<\/p>\n \u201cThey either have to absorb those increased costs, which cuts into their profits or pass them on to the final consumer,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if they raise prices, that causes people to buy less, which also cuts into their profits.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilbert said small businesses, which lack the flexibility to change supply chains and make other adjustments, are hurt the most, but added all businesses are being hurt by the tariffs.<\/p>\n (Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) Employees in the factory building beds at Wilding Wallbeds in St. George, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole policy is crazy,\u201d he said. \u201cThere might be arguments for placing import protections on a limited number of sensitive sectors for national security reasons. But other than that, I can\u2019t see any coherent argument for imposing the kind of tariffs that the [Trump administration] has.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilding Wallbeds\u2019 origins date back to the custom woodworking and furniture shop his father and grandfather opened in the 1990s. After filling a first-ever order for a Murphy bed, Wilding said, the business eventually morphed into a full-time foldaway bed manufacturer.<\/p>\n