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Charlotte entrepreneur Shanon Kindred is feeling some relief following Friday’s major U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
“It’s very encouraging, and I am grateful that the Supreme Court made the correct decision, and enforced the checks and balances our government was built on,” said Kindred. She founded Toushea Skincare 11 years ago. Her import suppliers span the globe from West Africa for shea butter to Spain and Italy for olive oil.
Over the past year, Charlotte-area businesses like Kindred’s, and ranging from Latin grocers and Asian marts to builders and auto shops, have felt the effects of tariffs with rising costs and customer concerns.
The Supreme Court’s ruling invalidates Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Tariffs are taxes imposed by the U.S. government on imported goods, resulting in higher prices typically passed on to consumers. Trump claimed his tariffs would lead to an increase in domestic manufacturing.
But Kindred saw the price of cocoa butter — sourced from Africa and South America — nearly double during the height of trade tensions. With margins thinning, Kindred had no choice but to pass those higher costs on to her customers.
Beyond rising costs, international logistics also ground to a halt. Kindred went several months without a single order from outside the U.S. The drought only broke about a month ago when she received a surprise order from Switzerland.
“And that was a shock,” Kindred said.
Tariffs forced prices up at Charlotte Asian market
At Golden Elephant Asian Market off Old Little Rock Road in northwest Charlotte, owner Bo Sayaphet said the majority of products he sells increased in price. The majority of goods are imported from Southeast Asia, as well as other countries like China and South Korea.
“You’ve got no choice,” he said. “I can’t sell it for what I was selling for last year.”
He believes eliminating the tariffs could not only help bring prices down but relieve shortages on certain products. Wholesalers won’t even order dried goods like grains and mushrooms, Sayaphet said.
Plus he’ll get more product for his money. “It definitely should help,” Sayaphet said.
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Tariffs stifled economic growth, Charlotte economist says
From small businesses to large companies, Trump’s tariffs led to slower economic growth, said Matthew Metzgar, UNC Charlotte economics professor.
In 2024, the economy grew, in terms of gross domestic product, by 2.8%, Metzgar said. That number dropped to 2.2% last year.
“If the tariffs weren’t there, the economy would have grown at the same rate in 2025 roughly as it did the year before,” Metzgar said. “The economy still grew, but it didn’t grow to what its potential could have been if those tariffs weren’t there.”
For now, companies may start to take advantage of the decision and begin purchasing goods at a cheaper cost, Metzgar said.
“In the short term, I think this is good for prices and inflation,” Metzgar said. “If we’re able in the next month or so to import goods without these tariffs then that could lead to lower prices for consumers.”
But Trump is already discussing enacting tariffs under different laws. This leaves businesses wondering what next steps could be.
“One of the reasons tariffs are supposed to go through Congress is because it creates more stability and predictability for businesses to operate,” Metzgar said.
“When you’re talking about tariffs are here today, gone tomorrow, and then back in two months, it’s so hard for a business to order based off that and have any confidence in what their prices are going to be when they hit the shelf.”
Tariffs effect on grocery shelves
Last April, Phil Lempert, who analyzes consumer behavior and market trends, called tariffs a “disaster” for food prices on consumers, for brands, and for supermarkets and restaurants.
Now that a bulk of Trump’s food-price tax has been ruled illegal, Lempert said in a special report online Friday that the “aftershock for food prices could be as disruptive as the tariffs themselves.”
Any price relief will be slow, partial and strategic, Lempoert said, likely in the form of deals and loyalty offers rather than broad price rollbacks.
“Tariffs are only part of the problem pushing up food prices: labor costs and climate change are also to blame,” Lempert said.
“We can’t grow all of our food here in the U.S,” he told The Charlotte Observer on Friday.
The uncertainty of tariffs caused concerns and supply shortages from some countries. For example, tariffs threatened export deals with Italian pasta makers.
“But what this does is it gives a lot of power back to the exporting countries,” Lempert said. “This is going to give them a sigh of relief event, though the administration is going to try to work around it.”
Will businesses get refunds?
Companies that had to pay the tariffs may be able to seek a refund from the Treasury Department, but the court did not address that issue. Several companies, including Costco, sued the Trump administration for refunds before the Supreme Court ruling Friday.
If they are successful in getting money refunded, Lempert said, how does that get passed back to the consumers or does it go to food companies?
We Pay The Tariffs, an advocacy and research coalition of 800 businesses small businesses, released a statement demanding refunds for Trump’s tariffs. Over 30 North Carolina and South Carolina businesses are part of the organization, the group told the Observer.
“But a legal victory is meaningless without actual relief for the businesses that paid these tariffs. … These businesses need their money back now,” the group’s Executive Director Dan Anthony said.
A Charlotte business owner’s fear of the unknown
Because Kindred’s supply chain spans the globe, the recent climate of trade uncertainty and tariffs placed her small business in a chokehold and halted expansion.
“The hardest thing was not knowing,” Kindred said.
“It’s very hard to maintain consistency and continue providing customers the best products when you’re facing so many unknown variables.”
Desiree Mathurin covers growth and development for The Charlotte Observer. The native New Yorker returned to the East Coast after covering neighborhood news in Denver at Denverite and Colorado Public Radio. She’s also reported on high school sports at Newsday and southern-regional news for AP. Desiree is exploring Charlotte and the Carolinas, and is looking forward to taking readers along for the ride. Send tips and coffee shop recommendations.
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Catherine Muccigrosso,Desiree Mathurin,Chase Jordan
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