At the MAD Mike's Barber Store in the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago, ISMAEL Acuña Jaimez puts the finishing touches on the customer's hair while the “Ford Vs. Ferrari” Dobbed TV play in Spanish.
Acuña Jaimez has managed this store with his parents about 12 years ago in this Latin neighborhood and often immigrant. He said that there is a less on foot in front of the barber salon during the first two months of the year, but the work was chosen recently.
Now, Acuña Jaimez will affect how the Trump administration tariffs, especially imposing it on Chinese goods by 145 %, will affect his work – the cost of Clippers, blades and other equipment, most of which were made in China.
“It's really expensive,” he said. “One of my blades costs $ 45, and if you want to replace it now, I may pay $ 55 to $ 60. So he adds.”
Replacement blades are made for shaving in China. ISMAEL Acuña Jaimez worries that the prices of blades rise due to the definitions.
He also bought additional gloves, gel and other hair products.
ACUñA Jaimez is one of the many small business owners in the Chicago region who are scrambling to store and invite themselves to financial influence-even with news related to definitions that change daily.
“We don't know how much it would have been flowing to us,” he said. “We are good for six to nine months. Then, we will see.”
He added that being a small company means that there is not much additional money that it spends on storing for the future, and he does not have the help of an accountant who can provide expectations and advice.
Akanna Jaez said that he could not raise prices either, as customers at Little Village are largely immigrants and low -income families.
“We are always trying to keep our customers happy as much as we can understand that we are all together,” he said.
A few miles a few miles in the southeast, in City tires and repair in Fuller Park, Mark Amyak said that there is not much that he can do to protect his work amid uncertainty about the definitions – and that storage on car parts is now out of it.
He said: “If we see 30 cars a day, I can almost guarantee you that two parts will not have the same parts.” “Even if you see five Toyota, there is a good opportunity to have all different parts (you need to fix).”
Imyak, who runs City Tyre for more than three decades, said his store is likely to become more preoccupied, because he believes that more consumers will choose to repair their cars instead of buying new cars.
“People say that the repair of cars is a stagnation -resistant action,” said Amyk. “If there are things that are broken, they must fix them. It seems as if there is a lack of vehicles.”
IMYAK added that the customs tariff will continue to affect the way its store works, which may increase the repair times and is likely to be the cost of customers.
“It is difficult to get all these jobs to change 30 cars on the day you have larger repair functions,” he said. “There is a pain point for everything.”
He added that the customs tariff was not well studied, but this is what it is. I am not the President of the United States. ”
Elisa Knotts is the owner of the #pound elasa cake.
For Elisa Knotts, the owner of ELISA's Cake by #Pound, a company dedicated to cakes that runs out of her home, the definitions are the latest in a series of visits.
In the past few months, I had to raise prices due to the cost of eggs, because “90 % of my list includes eggs in some capabilities.”
After that, just when it began to intensify the side of providing food for companies in its business, the Trump administration began to establish diversity and inclusion programs in companies and universities, affecting the budgets of organizations looking to care for companies such as Knotts.
“I hope that some of these large companies still have their identity to support small companies owned by minorities,” Knots said.
Knots moved to Chicago from New Orleans about three years ago and also transferred her business. She was starting to gain momentum in her new city – even getting a chance for rapper as a customer. Instagram has a complex customized cakes, amazing cakes and – a fact for its roots in New Orleans – colored king cake.
She said the news of definitions is very anxious. On the morning of the last days, she turned her rack of bread and decorated supplies and found that almost everything she used was made in China.
She said: “Aluminum Ramicins … Cake Juniter Cake Cover … Edible Edient Papes … All are made in China.”
Knotts fears that the prices of all these elements will rise with the tariffs. It already looks at the last two years of sales to see what you must buy in large quantities now, including cake panels and boxes. She was doing breathing exercises and checking news to track all new ads about definitions.
She said: “It continues to approach more and more and more than the place where this affects a paving.”
But during her firm moments, she reminds herself that she survived Catherina Hurricane 20 years ago.
Knotts said: “I lost everything in Katrina. I have survived 100 % of my worst days,” Knots said. “I'm still here. I'm alive for a purpose. It might be a little difficult, but we will do it.”
Esther Yoon-Ji Kang is a correspondent in the WBEZ office, layer layer and societies. Follow it on x estationjang.
