Tariff Turmoil: Trump’s Trade War Sends Shockwaves Through American Small Businesses And Communities

From the textile towns of South Carolina to wedding event rental shops in Wyoming, President Donald Trump’s escalating tariff regime is sending shockwaves throughout the American business landscape. As new and unpredictable tariffs on imports take hold, small manufacturers and independent businesses are left grappling with a new era of volatility and uncertainty, raising pressing questions about the future of American industry and the real costs of global economic rivalry.

Once the beating heart of America’s textile industry, the Upstate region of South Carolina felt the first tremors decades ago, as automation and offshoring gutted local mills. “The textile industry is dead,” said a skeptical Adolphus Jones, a retired mill worker, questioning why anyone would want to return to grueling, low-wage mill jobs. While some locals long for renewed manufacturing, most have embraced new industries and global partnerships that offer better prospects. Trump’s tariffs, intended to force production back to America, have instead fueled fresh uncertainty—cutting into trade, raising costs, and leaving many wondering if revival is even possible.

For the nation’s small and mid-sized business owners, the tariff regime has created a climate that some describe as bordering on apocalyptic. Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Chicago-based Learning Resources, saw tariffs on his educational toys skyrocket from a manageable 3 percent to a staggering 145 percent almost overnight. “Honest to God, no exaggeration: It feels like the end of days,” Woldenberg admitted, underscoring how crucial global supply chains and steady rules are to American competitiveness. Attempts to shift production back to the U.S. have often been stymied by a lack of skilled labor and prohibitive costs. "The products I make in China, about 60% of what I do, become economically unviable overnight... There is no idle manufacturing hub standing fully equipped, full of engineers and qualified people waiting for me to show up with 10,000 molds to make 2,000 products."

The unpredictability has hit Main Street as much as big manufacturers. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Cara Rank, owner of Objet West by XoWyo, had to choose between hiring a new full-time employee or covering a potential $40,000 tariff bill on imported European dinnerware. “Do they want me to put people to work and pay them a living wage, or do they want me to pay tariffs?” Rank said, encapsulating the frustrations of countless business owners. After a temporary 90-day pause on most tariffs (excluding China, which now faces a cumulative 145% tariff), Rank’s pessimism eased into tentative optimism—at least for now. But the uncertainty remains, as she and others ponder whether to stockpile supplies in anticipation of another tariff swing.

Store owners like Kyleen Stevenson-Braxton in Casper, Wyoming, watch global tariff news with trepidation. Her clothing store cannot find American-made products to stock at competitive prices; Canadian goods are her closest substitute for quality, but they too are at risk. “It’s very scary to me honestly as a business owner,” she confided. Rising costs from multiple crises—tariffs, inflation, pandemic-era supply shocks—have pushed small businesses to their limits. Stevenson-Braxton faces the classic conundrum: absorb spiraling costs or pass them onto price-sensitive customers.

Industry experts warn that tariffs aren’t just a short-term nuisance. Estimates from the Yale Budget Lab suggest that tariff increases could reduce U.S. economic growth by 1.1% in 2025. With no clear path forward for re-domesticating entire industries, business leaders and economists alike express concern that protectionist measures may ultimately hurt the communities they intend to help.

The stories from every corner of the country showcase a central irony: What began as a fight to repatriate American manufacturing jobs has unveiled just how deeply American prosperity is now tied to complex, global supply chains. As tariffs come and go at the whim of politics, business owners are left with hard questions about who will truly shoulder the costs and what, if anything, might really take the place of the industries Americans have lost.

Have your local businesses weathered the tariff storm, or are they caught in the crossfire? Share your stories and join the conversation below.

• South Carolina
• Trump Tariffs
• Wyoming

Related issues news

How do tariffs affect businesses?

Tariffs are paid for by U.S. companies that import the affected goods and materials, meaning small businesses may have to pay more for their imports.

Do the tariffs affect Amazon?

Amazon shoppers can likely expect some prices to rise due to the ongoing global trade war, the company's CEO admitted. The online retailer's network of third-party sellers u201cwill pass that cost on,u201d Andy Jassy said Thursday on CNBC, in response to the impact of tariffs affecting product prices.