No Room Left: How Tariffs Took Down a Furniture Business

Small business owner Henrik Svendsen is closing his furniture store in Merriam, Kansas, because the trade war has made the products he sells nearly impossible to import and unaffordable for his customers. Since the president launched his trade war, Svendsen has paid over $160,000 in tariffs—a cost his business simply couldn’t absorb.

“It’s [the tariffs] affected it to the fact that we decided to liquidate everything.”— Henrik Svendsen, CBS News

The store’s closure means layoffs for Svendsen’s 10 employees and the loss of yet another small business in Kansas. His story is a powerful reminder that tariffs don’t just raise prices—they end businesses. For small retailers operating on tight margins, there’s no room to survive unpredictable trade costs. If you believe Main Street deserves better, sign the letter and stand with small businesses across the country.