But the wave of tariffs have made it nearly impossible for them to continue their business, Buechli said at a press conference with other small business owners Thursday. He said he’s had to stop ordering products from Thailand because he can’t afford the tariffs, and he expects their company will have to go out of business.

“We hope that there’s a way for these policies to turn around because we’d like to stay doing what we’re doing,” Sebestyen told reporters. “This is our passion and our livelihood.”

Mary Carroll Todd, owner of a small vegetable farm in Western North Carolina, is also struggling under the tariffs because they both increase the cost of farming equipment and have made it harder to recover from Hurricane Helene.

Nearly a year ago, the hurricane wiped out many farms in the area. People began rebuilding this spring and summer after waiting for insurance money to come through. Now under the tariffs, the cost of essentials like appliances and raw building materials has dramatically increased, Todd said.

On top of these increased costs, the price of machinery necessary to her operation has gone up due to tariffs. Todd grows a range of specialty crops, including radishes, beets, tomatoes, and cucumbers, which she sells directly to the community through farmers markets, restaurants, and community supported agriculture (CSA) boxes.

Currently about six people work on Todd’s operation. But come winter, when she typically purchases materials, she said the farm will need to make tough decisions about employment and expansion.

“I would just encourage lawmakers to please stand up for small businesses,” Todd said. “We make up the backbone of the American economy.” (Link to this post.)