A Trade War on Your Doorstep
For decades, the furniture business has been a simple game. Build it cheaply somewhere in Asia, ship it across the ocean, and sell it for a tidy profit in a sprawling American showroom. It’s a model that has worked beautifully for retailers, keeping prices down and customers happy. The problem, however, is that this comfortable arrangement might be about to end, and rather abruptly at that.
When a government launches a formal probe into imports, it’s usually the opening shot in a trade war. The next act almost always involves tariffs. Suddenly, that cheap imported chest of drawers isn’t so cheap anymore. The cost advantage that foreign factories have enjoyed for years could vanish, almost overnight. What happens then? Well, consumers are a funny lot. Faced with a higher price for one thing, they tend to look for a cheaper alternative. And in this case, the alternative is sitting right there, made in America.