Denver-area small businesses navigate ever-changing tariffs, uncertainty ...Middle East

After several years of working in the food industry, Karina Tittjung pursued a passion of hers and about a year ago opened a pet boutique in the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora.

The store sells an array of toys, games, puzzles and feeders crafted to engage animals and humans. Tittjung said the store, Bonez 4 Budz, is a labor of love fostered by her deep connection with her three dogs.

“I started this boutique to help others experience that same bond. It’s a place where thoughtful, fun and wellness-focused products come together to support not only the physical health of pets but their emotional well-being, too,” Tittjung said.

Along with ordering products and taking care of customers, these days Tittjung is navigating the choppy waters of on-again, off-again tariffs. The uncertainty makes it tough to react, she and other store owners in the marketplace said.

“One example: We carry a line of leather toys that went up $4 overnight for a single toy,” Tittjung said.

The company is based in Michigan, but the toys are made in India. “I’m  trying to find another source,” Tittjung said.

Tittjung’s experience highlights dilemmas that small businesses face on the tariff front. Many products with labels stating they were made in the U.S. include parts from other countries that are subject to tariffs. One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with the changing sizes and effective dates of the taxes as the Trump administration angles to negotiate trade deals with countries.

Tiffany Spector and co-owner Anna Bangert bought True, a women’s boutique in the Stanley Marketplace about two years ago. Spector said they try to buy from as many local vendors as they can, but much of the apparel sold in this country is made in China.

Recently enacted tariffs on goods from China are at least 145%, although President Donald Trump reportedly was considering substantially slashing the tariff to de-escalate a growing trade war with Beijing.

“It’s hard to make all these pivots because we’re actually still learning as small-business owners. Then every day there’s a new news headline,” Spector said. “You’re trying to keep up with what the rules are and how we can try to make it work for us and our customers so we’re not just passing along higher costs to them.”

James Williams owns the Iron and Resin store, which isn’t far from Tittjung’s space in the marketplace. It sells outdoor clothes that are designed in house. Like his work neighbors, Williams has struggled to follow the latest trade news and is bracing for the end of a 90-day pause on higher country-by-country “reciprocal” tariffs.

For now, until the pause is lifted or plans change, Iron and Resin is absorbing the 10% levies imposed on most countries. The company produces clothes in Texas and Los Angeles, but, as business has grown, it has expanded to factories in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Williams wonders what will happen when the three months are up. “Is it going to actually take place? Is it going to be as drastic as we thought it was going to be?” he asked.

One thing Williams knows is that his sleep score on his smart ring tracking health data isn’t good. “It means I’m nervous all day, every day,” he said.

Williams, Tittjung and Spector were talking about the impacts of tariffs while sitting in the Cheluna Brewing Co. in the Stanley Marketplace. Jen and Javi Perez opened the brewery and tap room in 2016. After moving frequently through the years, Jen Perez said the couple decided to put down some roots for themselves and their kids and “do something to build community.”

Starting a brewery seemed like a natural because Javi Perez had been brewing beer as a hobby for nearly 30 years. The couple knew other home brewers and would invite them for meals and the beer they produced together.

“We felt strongly that there might be space in the market for a Mexican-themed brewery. Javi is Mexican-American. That’s how Cheluna was born,” Jen Perez said.

A brewery is different from other small businesses because the product is made in house, Javi Perez said. But Cheluna could be affected by the tariffs on aluminum and steel. Most of the stainless steel brewing equipment comes from Canada and China.

Malted barley comes from several countries — France, Belgium, England, Germany, Canada  — and the U.S. “The hops are grown mostly in the United States, but some of the really popular new varieties come from abroad,” Javi Perez said.

Whatever the business, owners and customers alike will feel the squeeze if higher costs caused by tariffs slow spending overall, he added.

After the 2024 presidential election, Jen Perez stocked up on aluminum because she anticipated that tariffs would increase. “I haven’t even gone online to look at the prices.”

“Once we get through that supply, we’ll see how prices have changed,” Javi Perez said.

Tittjung has started placing orders for Christmas. Spector, co-owner of True, said the store has tried to place more orders to boost the inventory. But there’s only so much they can do because clothing is seasonal, she said.

“We don’t want to have tank tops in December,” Spector said.

Jen Perez said she understands the desire to rebuild domestic manufacturing but believes pushing through tariffs to do that “is an oversimplification of a complex issue.”

“I think it takes a long time to bring that to fruition,” she added. “It would be nice if we could start a long-term, more focused plan that came in steps and not just a different headline every day that something is changing.”

The business owners agreed they will shoulder as much of the burden of tariffs as they can before hiking prices on customers. They talked about weathering the storm together.

“These are real people with real lives, and their businesses are at stake if this goes on for too long,” Spector said.

An April 11 letter from U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado and nine of his colleagues to Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, said the vast majority of small businesses rely on imports. The Trump administration’s tariffs “will be devastating for small businesses across the nation, and millions of jobs are at risk on Main Streets in every corner of the country,” the Democratic senators wrote.

The SBA office in Washington, D.C., didn’t answer requests for comment.

Tariffs are hurting the state’s agriculture industry and small businesses, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement Wednesday. Colorado is joining a multistate lawsuit to block the tariffs announced by Trump on the grounds that only Congress has the power to tax and impose tariffs.

Brothers Keaton and Kyler Brown were set to hire employees after seeing their business, The Windy Company, grow over the past year. However, the bump in the road that is tariffs has led the Browns “to step off the gas pedal” to see if the trade turmoil settles down, Keaton Brown said.

Four years ago, the brothers started a company that delivers windshield wipers to customers’ homes. Keaton Brown said the idea was sparked by his frustration with struggling to replace his wipers himself.

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The brothers settled on a more user-friendly design. Customers subscribe to the service and have the wipers delivered once or twice a year. The Windy Company ships from a warehouse in Grand Junction to people in all 50 states. The wiper blades are made in China out of 100% natural rubber.

“About half of our customers buy for the quality and half for the ease,” said Brown, who lives in Denver.

The brothers scouted out suppliers and settled on China, where most of the windshield wipers are made. “I’m not sure if there’s a single factory in the U.S. that produces wipers today,” Brown said.

Brown remains optimistic about the company’s long-term outlook. There’s enough inventory for the near term, and the brothers feel good about their customer base.

“But we certainly expect to take a hit this year. I don’t know how long that will last, but there’ll be a significant impact at least on our growth,” Brown said.

Brendan Dorney has always been good at art and painted, drew and restored antiques. A few years ago, he turned a studio into a screen printing and design business in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Through his business, called Rabies Babies, Dorney produces his own art for clients, including concert venues and musicians.

Dorney also makes prints of other artists’ work. He has worked side jobs while striving to build his true love into a full-time gig.

“I’ve made all the wrong choices, but I’ve followed my passion. And now it’s finally turning back around to where the money’s coming in and not just always going out,” Dorney said.

But now come tariffs and uncertainty about the price of the supplies he needs. He buys gallons of ink and needs a lot of niche items to produce the prints. Since the height of the pandemic, when supply chains were disrupted, Dorney said prices have gone up and stayed there.

Tariffs levied by the Trump administration have added a whole new layer.

“The big one that really shocked the hell out of me was the aluminum frames that I need to buy,” Dorney said.

He uses custom-made frames from a small store in Wisconsin, and the price recently jumped from $68 to $108 per framed screen. A person at the store was “apologetic and kind” but didn’t explain the big increase. He assumes it’s because of the tariff on aluminum, which is used for the frames.

Dorney plans to inventory his supplies and figure out what he’ll need in the coming months and where he can get the best deals. “Any sales that come up, I’m just going to double down on stuff.”

And he expects to have to raise prices.

“I always feel bad if I have to give somebody a higher number,” Dorney said. “The artists that I print for are all similar to me. They’re all independent. They’re doing well, but they have the same challenges.”

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