Uncertainty about tariffs weighs on Philadelphia businesses, leaves some items stuck overseas
It's a storm of uncertainty for Philadelphia's Darrell Alston.
"Every time we try to talk to our factories to find out what the next move is, they really don't know," Alston said.
Alston is the founder of Bungee USA, which launched in 2023. He designs and sells all kinds of Philadelphia sports gear. His site is strewn with custom Phillies jersey jackets, Eagles face masks and more. But President Trump's tariffs have thrown a wrench into Alston's plans for his latest designs, with many products now stuck overseas.
"We have Eagles merch that we were trying to get in to try to prepare for the upcoming season. And then we also had Philadelphia Phillies merch, and that's being held up as well," Alston said.
Alston, who also makes custom shoes, said he primarily deals with factories in Spain, Italy and Pakistan, to name a few. But everywhere he went, tariffs were going to be a hold up.
"Every day it's a new tariff, it's a new thing that's happening. So we don't really know what to do. They don't even know what to charge because tomorrow it could be different," Alston said. "We have a lot of different things that are in the wind, waiting."
Early Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" on many foreign nations went into effect. But shortly after 1:30 p.m., the president posted a message on his Truth Social platform saying he was issuing a 90-day pause on new tariffs and holding them at 10%. The exception was for China, which saw its tariffs raised to 125%.
CBS News Philadelphia ran into Alston at Shibe Vintage Sports in Center City, where he was discussing bringing some of his designs to the store. Brian Michael, owner of Shibe, said the uncertainty is impacting his business as well.
"Our vendors aren't sure what their prices are going to be, which means we're not sure what our prices are going to be," Michael said.
Shibe, according to Michael, does have some insulation with locally designed products on hand. He pointed to a few shirts through the store that are made in South Philly and said those should still be readily available.
But Michael says much of the licensed merchandise — basically anything with an official team logo on it — is made overseas.
Michael flipped through several Phillies shirts on display in the store, which are made in places like Peru, Pakistan and China.
Both Michael and Alston say, while they try to order things early and stay ahead of the curve, they do have enough stock to last them at least a few months. But if the tariff fight is still going on as we approach the start of the Eagles season, both say that's when things could become a bigger problem.
"Once we get through the summer, Eagles, back to school, the holiday season, if we're still in this time of uncertainty, it's going to be tough," said Michael.
Uncertainty is the reality these two, and many other local businesses, are dealing with right now. For Alston and Michael, it leaves them playing the waiting game.
"Hopefully we don't have to shut our doors down, but in the meantime, we just have to wait," Alston said.
But there is one thing Michael says he believes he does know about this tariff dispute.
"I think the fact that prices are going to go up is not a question," Michael said. "Prices are going to go up, and that's probably the byproduct."
