PA small business owners struggle in wake of tariffs

At Elementary Coffee Co. in Harrisburg, a 16‑ounce specialty coffee already costs $7.50, and the owner says raising prices any higher would be tough for the local community. (Photo courtesy Elementary Coffee Co)

By Public News Service

March 2, 2026

By Danielle Smith

A Pennsylvania coffee shop owner said President Donald Trump’s new tariffs are the latest move putting real pressure on small businesses like hers.

In Pennsylvania, small businesses paid about $1.6 billion in tariffs last year, part of a national total of more than $63 billion. The sweeping tariffs on imported goods and products – from coffee beans to aluminum and packaging – are driving up costs.

Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Company in Harrisburg, said she is worried about its future, as prices for coffee beans and Chinese‑made cups keep climbing. She pointed out so far she has increased some prices, instituted a hiring freeze and changed her serveware packaging to plastic goods.

“I’ve been raising costs as I’ve been able to on, like, wholesale prices and larger batches of coffee, like our coffee beans, as we’re getting those in,” Grove explained. “Because obviously the tariffs on them have affected the price on the already really high coffee price to begin with.”

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned President Trump’s widespread tariffs, ruling he overstepped his authority and it’s up to Congress to make tariff decisions. Trump had introduced 10% tariffs last April on most imported goods, with additional duties on select countries, saying foreign trade practices posed a “national emergency” requiring action.

In December, Grove noted she began decreasing her own wages and in January, cut them altogether in an effort to make ends meet for her business.

“Then I gave myself, like, $400 last week, because I was like, ‘I need money,'” Grove recounted. “I was looking into substitute teaching, because I was, like, ‘I think I might need a second job, but when am I going to have time to do that?’ So, I was looking into that sort of thing as well, because I need to pay rent, I need to take care of my cat.”

Families are feeling the pinch, too. A new study from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found the tariffs added about $1,000 in extra costs for the average household last year. If the tariffs remain in place, families could be paying roughly $1,300 more this year.

This story is based on original reporting by Anna Gustafson and Josh Israel for the Pennsylvania Independent.