John Hamer, president of Rodgers Wade Manufacturing in Paris, Texas, makes store fixtures for big retailers like Ross Dress for Less and Ulta Beauty.
He sources many of the goods from China, which until recently meant he paid 70% in tariffs on metal fixtures.
“The media was saying it was 30%, but that was never true,” he said, referring to the tariff rate for China announced in May as part of a truce between the Trump administration and Beijing as it negotiated a broader deal.
That’s because Hamer’s 30% tariff was stacked on top of existing tariffs, i…