Vari adds small business voice to China trade dispute

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Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay
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Good morning everyone,

Tom Vari is back in the news.

The owner of the Brandywine Lighting Gallery  in north Wilmington was first featured in a New York Times story on the issue. This column also took note of his low-key effort to let the public know about a complex and politically charged situation.

This week, Vari was interviewed on CNN as more goods were added to the tariff list.

Vari continues to point out that most of the residential lighting industry moved its production a long time ago.

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The situation squeezes small retailers first,  but eventually, everyone will be paying more for lighting if the tariffs hold over a long period. (Many experts doubt that will happen).  For now, big box stores can work through their larger inventories and limit sticker shock.

As for tariffs resulting in the industry moving back to the U.S.,  don’t hold your breath. The supply chain is now in China and can’t be duplicated.

Vari has some room to maneuver, thanks to higher margin lighting projects for custom kitchens, outdoor accents, and other spaces. But tariff-driven increases in fixture costs could eventually cause business to trail off.

It would be relatively easy to come up with a tariff carve-out the takes into account industries where virtually all production is located in China.

In the interim, a   phone call or letter or two to your favorite member of Congress,  Senator  or the Small Business Administration would be a good idea, along with a visit to Vari’s business.

Enjoy your Wednesday and this thing we call sunshine.

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