'What does that mean for tomorrow?' small business owners react to tariff pause
Chris Farley, the owner of Pacers Running in Alexandria, Virginia, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head when he learned about the news of President Donald Trump's change in his tariff plan.
"This is the world we're in now. What I was hoping for was some predictability for life and work, and this is just so challenging. That's great news-- maybe I should react that's great news. But what does that mean for tomorrow? Like I just-- it's hard to understand what's actually happening," he said.
Farley said he and the vendors he works with are struggling to figure out the best prices and margins to operate with.
"I am measured in my responses now. I'm really going to stay medium on any sort of news that comes out," he said.
Farley said he's worried how much his customers will be able to bear, telling us he's been told one shoe he sells could immediately jump from $165 to $220.
"I can't sell this for $220" he said,
When asked for his message to the administration, prior to Trump's announcement, Farley joked, "First off, I'd like everybody to go for a run. I think you'll get a level head."
"I would say to the folks in charge that these are real impacts on real people, real people with families that are hardworking Americans, who have running stores or have small businesses. And these are real impacts that we're juggling," he added.
