Fairhope small business owners react to China trade war, possible impact
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WKRG) — Local business owners are waiting to see how the trade war with China might impact them and how much they have to pay for raw materials.
Former Mobile police officer turns himself in after deadly 2024 motorcycle crash
The twice-monthly Mobile Bay Makers Market is nestled in its new home in Fairhope’s “Hope Community.” It’s a place where people can buy locally made things and meet the people who made them.
For the makers, there’s a lot of uncertainty.
Diane Davis says she expects the prices of some of the basic materials for her jewelry pieces to go up since some of the basic building blocks come from China.
“I do have some concern, we’re just going to have to see, I think, how I mean I do have some stock so you know we’ll see,” said Diane Davis with Oh No Studio.
Patrice Godfrey says many of the containers she uses to hold her homemade ointments and lotions are made in China too, so she stocked up to get ahead of price hikes.
“Like at least three times more. So I spent a lot of money to get the order in. I had the time because I didn’t know how that would impact my business,” said Patrice Godfrey with Candles and creams. Some business owners say it’s too early to say how the trade war might be affecting them because they’ve yet to make a bulk order.
“We’re going to find out, I guess. Yeah. I mean, you know, obviously we order a lot of stuff online, so I’ll have to see if that’s going to affect any of the, you know, the delivery of certain things,” said Francesca Legg with Frandomly Made.
3 new stores to open in the Eastern Shore Centre
Everyone is trying to stay positive, particularly at Gene Havell’s booth of wooden toys and items. He says the renewed attention on products made in the US is getting parents to take a second look at what he’s got.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
