KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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A year after President Donald Trump's Liberation Day, which imposed tariffs on countries around the world, Kansas City flower shop Fiddly Fig is still navigating changing tariff rates.
Owner and manager Sheryl White says the flowers she purchases come from all around the world — mostly South American countries like Ecuador — and tariffs are driving up the cost.
“It doesn’t just affect the cost of flowers, our hard goods — baskets, ribbon, all of that — is out of China," she said.
Jack Zhang is the director of the Trade War Lab at the University of Kansas. His partnership with the World Trade Center Kansas City worked to better understand the impacts of tariffs on the region.
“70% of companies say they’re harmed by tariffs in the region, that they are experiencing higher costs and they’re passing on some costs to consumers," Zhang said.
White said she initially thought the impacts might be temporary, so she held off on increasing her prices. She said she decided about three months ago she had to raise the cost of her goods by about 10%.
“It really concerned me about the loyalty of customers, about demand," she said. "It hasn’t seemed to affect it because it’s everywhere. Prices are up on everything everywhere.”
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down tariffs Trump imposed on countries around the world on Liberation Day in April 2025. As a small business owner, White said she never thought she'd be watching a Supreme Court ruling so closely.
“It’s stabilized a bit now since the Supreme Court decision, but it’s still there, they’re still there," White said.
Following the ruling, Trump again posted 10% tariffs on countries around the world, according to Scripps News.
“What I’ve heard, I read in the news, is some of the major big, big companies are suing the federal government for refunds," White said. "That will never trickle down to small business.”
On March 4, a federal judge ruled the federal government will need to refund companies money they spent on tariffs the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in February, according to the Associated Press. Costco was one company that pushed for the refunds in a lawsuit.
“Our research shows that it is the small and medium-sized businesses that are the most sort of harmed, and yet, they have a smaller voice," Zhang said.
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