By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Uncertainty.

That’s the word that arose again and again during a West Seattle small-business roundtable discussion this afternoon, led by Seattle Port Commission president Toshiko Hasegawa with state Commerce Department director Joe Nguyen. They talked at Gary’s Place on Alki with the arcade’s owners Elyssa and Matt Cichy, Greg Whittaker of Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) and Alki Kayak Tours, Dave McCoy of Emerald Water Anglers, Julie Mierzwiak of Realfine Coffee, Dan McKisson of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, Rachel Porter of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Chris Mackay of the West Seattle Junction Association, and Jordan Crawley, who operates Alki Beach Academy and is on the WSCC board.

The purpose of the by-invitation gathering was to find out how tariffs are affecting small local businesses. This is how it began, starting with an explanation by Lindsay Wolpa of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the cargo-shipping joint port authority of Seattle and Tacoma – and continuing with remarks by Hasegawa – whose port presidency also means she’s co-chair of the alliance’s managing members – and Nguyen:

The uncertainty really hits hard as businesses try to plan in advance, not knowing what will be happening, how things will be changing, how prices will be changing. You can get some of the sense of that listening to this excerpt of the conversation, starting with Whittaker, whose shop focuses on seasonal merchandise – mountain and water gear:

McCoy said he deals with about 140 vendors, and around 120 of them have raised prices from three to 11 percent “since the tariff war began.” Some have tried to absorb it, but have warned that they eventually will have to pass it on. And less revenue for businesses, because of higher costs, means less money to employ people. McCoy, whose shop is focused on fishing and other outdoor gear and apparel, said “volume” is all that’s been keeping him afloat.

The tariff situation isn’t just a matter of one country here and one country there – McCoy and Whittaker talked about merchandise made with materials from a multitude of countries: “It’s so complex, I don’t feel like I have any control.”

For the Cichys, buying what they need to run arcades is a challenge too. “We’re blowing our budget to get what we need,” said Elyssa. Matt added, “We don’t know what kind of price increase we’re going to face. … It’s stressful.” So far, they are trying to avoid passing price increases through to their customers. “We’re trying to make an accessible place for everyone.”

It’s not only about prices/costs, observed some of the participants. “Uncertainty decreases innovation,” Whittaker said.

Hasegawa and Nguyen asked the business owners what kind of resources they use to find out about tariffs, about loan/grant opportunities, and other information vital to keeping their doors open. The two business organizations represented at the gathering – the Chamber of Commerce and the Junction Association – talked about how they try to help their members with that.

But ultimately, it would be ideal if this weren’t happening at all, said Nguyen: “What’s frustrating is that this is all so unnecessary.”

Further up the supply chain, McKisson talked about how longshore workers are affected. Port cargo traffic has been “volatile,” it was noted earlier, and that volatility translates into work uncertainty for those whose jobs depend on shipping.

He wasn’t the only one who talked about how the situation has affected employees – their wages don’t go so far because of the rising prices in the greater economy, and they have to focus on essentials, maybe even get a second job. Hasegawa expressed admiration for their efforts to keep their businesses going and keep their staffs employed. “So much resilience,” she observed, then asking: What kind of community support are you getting/giving?

Business owners talked about encouraging customers to support other local businesses too, trying to find ways to help people understand the importance. Business organization leaders spoke about the events they’ve organized to bring people into local businesses, such as The Junction’s festivals and Wine Walks.

When a chance for media Q&A arose at the end, we asked Hasegawa what she planned to do with/about all the stories she’d heard during the roundtable. She said the port and NWSA are continuing to directly communicate with the federal government about the effects that tariffs and other policies are having, and that’ll also happen during a trip next month to D.C.

But ultimately, local advocacy and support will make the biggest difference, Nguyen suggested: “We can’t control what happens in the White House, but we can control what happens in our neighborhoods.”