Read: Julie Robbins, CEO of EarthQuaker Devices, spoke to The Guardian about the impacts tariffs are having on her ability to manufacture her product in the United States. EarthQuaker Devices manufactures made-from-scratch guitar pedals in Akron, Ohio, using more than 1,000 components imported from countries such as China and Vietnam. Robbins explains: "The tariffs are adding up to 30% to our costs. I would have at least a couple of new positions open now if it weren’t for

For a family-owned business in Anaheim, California, tariffs aren’t a line item that can be absorbed or offset — they’re an immediate threat to survival.   Operating in a highly competitive market with  extremely low margins , this small company prices its products directly based on what it costs to produce them. There’s no cushion. No room to absorb sudden increases.   They explained it plainly: “ As a small company, we are unable to absorb the tariffs . We face extremely low

Before this year, EndlessPens — a four-person stationery shop in Tampa — operated with stable, predictable tariff rates. Just a few percentage points here and there. Nothing that disrupted planning or threatened the business.   That changed overnight. In April, tariffs on the pens and stationery they import from multiple countries jumped from  2.75%–4% to 15%–25% . The timing couldn’t have been worse: the company had already placed orders, paid deposits, and locked in contrac

Read : We Pay the Tariffs released new Pennsylvania-specific data ahead of President Trump's address on the economy and inflation at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Northeast Pennsylvania. TOPLINE STATS: Pennsylvania companies paid $5.7 billion in tariffs in the year ending August 2025, compared to $2.1 billion in the year ending August 2024. The average tariff rate on imports into PA jumped from 2.2% in August 2024 to 10.4% in August 2025. KEY PA INDUSTRIES HIT HARD: F

In Portland, Maine, a two-person seafood importer is facing an impossible situation. Their business depends on fresh fish from Iceland and Norway — species that U.S. boats cannot harvest in sufficient quantities due to long-standing sustainability regulations designed to prevent overfishing in American waters.   Under normal circumstances, the company operates on a 10–15% margin, competing with a wide range of center-of-the-plate proteins. But since this summer, nothing abou

Read: Jared Hendricks, CEO of Village Lighting, a holiday decorations company based in Utah, was featured in a Politico article about the impacts of tariffs on holiday shopping . Hendricks was quoted saying: "At this point, we’ve really switched from working for profits to working for tariffs. "

For a 10-person company based in Atlanta, Georgia, this year’s tariff shocks have been financially devastating. Despite careful planning, stable supplier relationships, and long-term purchasing contracts, they’ve been hit with more than  $300,000 in additional tariffs  — a burden that no small business can absorb.   They explained their situation: “We had previous orders from 2023 and 2024 that didn’t arrive until 2025. There’s no chance to recoup the 15%–50% tariff on the di

Read: Amanda Kezios and other Chicago-based We Pay the Tariffs coalition members were featured in the Chicago Sun Times , emphasizing the negative impact of tariffs on their businesses. Kezios states that in her company's 25 years, this is one of the most difficult times, aside from the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009. Mojo Spa at 1468 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park- Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

In Cincinnati, a long-standing American bedding manufacturer is facing a crisis due to tariffs:  the loss of U.S. jobs .   This company proudly produces down and down-alternative bedding domestically. But like many U.S. manufacturers, they rely on global supply chains for inputs that   simply do not exist in the United States .   They shared their experience: “ We are a domestic manufacturer of down and down-alternative bedding. Eighty-five percent of the world supply of fea

In Anchorage, Alaska, a six-person bikepacking gear company is feeling the full impact of tariff-driven cost increases — not just on imported products but on the raw materials they rely on to manufacture gear here in the United States.   They shared the reality they’re facing: “We manufacture both domestically and abroad. Tariffs impact raw material purchasing for domestic production and kill margin on final products imported. The margin loss has killed my ability to give ra