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Black beauty supply stores are already feeling the effects of Trump's trade war, per NBC News.
According to reports, Black haircare is a more than $2.5 billion industry in the U.S. The industry relies heavily on foreign exporters to provide everything from wefts used for sew-ins, ingredients for ethnic hair care products and more.
Chasity Monroe, owner of Pink Noire, a Black-owned hair and beauty supply store in Memphis, Tennessee, said she is bracing herself for the effects of Trump's tariffs, which have hiked the import fees on hair products she carries from overseas. In the case of Chinese-made goods, tariffs are up 145 percent, putting a major strain on small and minority-owned businesses.
“It’s just been really scary for a small business that’s not been open long,” Monroe said.
Monroe noted that she buys many of her products directly from vendors in China, so she's responsible for the taxes when they enter the country. As suppliers begin to increase their prices, Monroe said she'll be forced to pass on the costs to customers.
The beauty supply store owner said she may need to start selling synthetic braiding hair packs for the "unheard of" price of $10 to $12.
Buyers like Monroe are being encouraged to take advantage of the 90-day pause on certain tariffs for countries like India, Cambodia, and Malaysia to stock up on inventory. However, some small businesses don't have the means to do so.
“We know already that many Black businesses don’t have the banking relationships that would allow them the access to capital and the liquidity to go out and make large purchases so that they could actually have inventory,” Trevon Logan, an economist at Ohio State University, said.
LaWanda Majors, owner of MajorStyllz Beauty Supply just outside of Nashville, said that a Brazilian bundle she purchases from an overseas vendor was increasing from $125 to $175. Majors said she's currently marking everything down in her store in hopes of bringing in the money she would need to buy more inventory as prices increase.
“I’m just stuck right now,” she said. “I just put it in God’s hands.”
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