Atlanta small businesses find opportunity amid tariffs and trade uncertainty

“This is our love letter to Atlanta, especially to its littles,” Bradley says excitedly as people line up outside the shop.

Bradley decided this was the year that she was going to take a chance on herself and open her first brick-and-mortar store.

“We looked at the political landscape, the social climate, the tariffs, all those things, and were like, ‘Listen, we need to be the masters of our own destiny,’” she said.

Many of Bradley’s products, like most toys, are made in China and are subject to Trump’s tariffs.

“We do have a warehouse with a lot of inventory where we’re hearing now that a lot of retailers are forecasting that they might be light for the holiday,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, well, we’ve got some stuff for you, right?’ So we’re looking at it as an opportunity.”

According to a recent member survey from the non-profit organization The Toy Association, when tariffs on Chinese imports reached 145%, most respondents reported canceling or delaying orders, fueling fears of going out of business.

Dadisi Academy

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Bradley founded Brown Toy Box during the pandemic to provide Black kids with a fun and educational pathway to STEAM careers, encompassing science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

“We have our character-driven products, right, so we have the Dadisi Academy crew. Dadisi means curious in Swahili,” she said.

A mother of four, her kids are also part of the business.

“Maya represents coding and app development. And she is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. So the funny thing is, four of the characters are named after my children. So Justin, our robotics character, is from London, England. My son is not from London,” said Bradley.

In the store, Bradley designed a corner for kids to learn coding on computers. As people explore the store, customers see characters that represent different disciplines from around the world.

“Dre is our astronomy character. He’s from Ocho Rios, Jamaica. All right. Makayla of Museum Arts is from Atlanta, Georgia, which, my Makayla is from Atlanta.” said Bradley.

She believes representation matters.

“I had a woman that cried. She said this is me as a little girl, and I wish I’d had something like this when I was a kid because I would have felt so much better about myself right and that means a lot right,” said Bradley.

In this moment of uncertainty and rollbacks on DEI, Bradley felt it was essential to ensure there is a spot for not only her toys, but also those from other toymakers. She is a stakeholder at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, or RICE, a business incubator dedicated to uplifting Black businesses in Atlanta.

“Is it more expensive? Yeah, and the thing is, it’s hard to say because the numbers are changing almost on a daily basis and there’s so much volatility,”

Jennifer Barbosa, owner of International Supply Partners.

Tariff Volatility

Fellow RICE stakeholder Jennifer Barbosa walks through her spacious warehouse, where products, such as brightly colored safety vests, line the shelves.

She owns International Supply Partners, which provides personal protection equipment to government agencies and businesses.

“Is it more expensive? Yeah, and the thing is, it’s hard to say because the numbers are changing almost on a daily basis and there’s so much volatility,” she notes.

Businesses are reporting paying higher costs on goods, and some American companies are using the tariffs to raise local prices.

“Once you hit the port, if administration decides that they’re going to change something, we don’t know what that is,” she said. “We’re still liable to pay that cost, and we don’t have a clue what that cost is.”

Many of Barbosa’s products are also made in China. She says her kits are essential for workers with varying levels of ability.

“These are open-air bone conduction headphones. And these are part of the kits that we make for Amazon for their disability kits for blind and low-vision employees,” said Barbosa.

The warehouse owner utilizes her diverse network of suppliers. Some of her products are exempt from tariffs.

“So products that we have coming out of Kenya, which is part of the AGOA treaty between the U.S. and countries in Africa, are not impacted by the tariffs right now,” said Barbosa.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, is a treaty between the U.S. and countries in Africa that covers over 1,800 products. It’s currently set to expire in September, but Congress has the option to extend the program before it ends.

Trade Legacy

Barbosa’s family immigrated from the Republic of Cabo Verde to Rhode Island. Her family influenced her journey.

“I understood importing and exporting because my grandfather did that between the U.S. and Cape Verde. Not realizing again, things that I was exposed to would come full circle,” she said.

Her family worked in manufacturing in Rhode Island, where she grew up. Barbosa says the White House’s goal of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. would cost too much and take too long for small businesses.

“We don’t produce as much as we consume here in America. There’s the issue of the raw materials. I mean, even if we were to produce everything, we’d still have to import raw materials, because America does not. We don’t grow rubber trees,” said Barbosa.

She says that the supply chain issues caused by the pandemic have taught her some valuable lessons that are helping her navigate the current trade war.

“It was not business as usual, and it required a lot of relationship building, negotiations, scrutiny, knowing what’s real and what’s not,” said Barbosa.

But not everyone is as lucky.

SBA Exporter of the Year

The Small Business Administration recognized Felipe Arroyave as the 2024 Exporter of the Year. His business, Spectrum International, manufactures and exports custom-made contact lenses.

Originally from Colombia, Arroyave says the volatility of these tariffs has made it difficult for him to source the materials he needs to make specialty contacts.

“The nightmare has been that almost 100% of our products are U.S.-made, right? But the raw materials are made overseas,” he said.

Which makes it harder to price his items.

“If I were to tell my customers right now, or if my customers were to ask me what is going to be my price list for the remainder of 2025, I cannot tell them,” said Arroyave. “When you export to 70 countries around the world and then the president comes and starts bullying countries, so, countries are taking actions against U.S.-made products and is hurting our business.”

“We all want Donald Trump to succeed. Nobody wants to have a pilot and wish that pilot to do bad, because you will crash,” he said.

For most nations, July 8 marks the end of the 90-day pause on the sweeping global reciprocal tariffs. The 90-day pause on retaliatory tariffs against China is expected to end on Aug. 12.

“We need to work together as the big country that we are and as the bigger economy that we are, and policies need to have an understanding from importers, exporters, consumers, local manufacturers,” said Arroyave. “Policies cannot be applied like this. I mean, they need to hear us, and I hope they do.”

Business owners like Bradley are unsure what the future holds, but are remaining hopeful.

“My hope is that we survive and not just survive, but we thrive, right? I think, you know, there’s opportunities for that, but if it doesn’t, I will not have one ounce of regret because I know I left it all on the field. And I feel good about that,” said Bradley.

Makayla Bardley shares her mom’s optimism.

“When we started our business, it was during an economic challenge,” the young Bardley said. “It was during supply chain issues, pandemic, we do hard stuff, right? So that means nothing to us. We know we got the favor of God. We know that we work hard.”