Candy King, who started a Vermont wood stove business with her husband 25 years ago, was featured in VT Digger speaking out against tariffs. She is a participant in Small Businesses Against Tariffs:
For Candy King, co-founder of wood stove vendor Hearthlink International in Randolph, the financial burden of importing steel products shows no signs of lightening. Since last spring, King said her company has paid out over $300,000 in duties, compared with a previous annual customs bill of about $5,000.
By laying off her entire sales team — leaving a staff of three — and increasing her prices, King has been able to diminish her losses.
“We’re down to the bare minimum,” she said in an interview Monday. “I don’t really take a salary at this point.”
King recently participated in a nationwide campaign called “Small Businesses Against Tariffs,” which seeks to raise public awareness around the economic impact of such trade fees. As a small-scale operation, King said it has sometimes been hard to feel heard on such broad issues.
“The little guys, as usual, always get ignored here,” King said.