‘We've been through hardships before': Springdale clothing store feels impact of tariffs
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Local businesses are starting to feel the impacts of the 184% tariff placed on Chinese imports by the United States.
Dela Deville's, a vintage clothing store on Emma Avenue in Springdale, has been open for almost seven years.
'It's just kind of like playing dress up every day,' Dela Billingsley, owner of Dela Deville's said. 'The shops are full of things that I love. You know, it's kind of hard to find true vintage pieces that are specializing in the forties and the fifties and the older styles. We just have a lot of fun with it.'
On the right side of the store, Billingsley keeps the racks stocked with 'true-vintage' pieces like dresses, bright-colored pieces, and even denim. However, on the left side of the store, she keeps an inventory of reproduction items intended to reflect vintage style.
'Half of my store is vintage-inspired. So, these are all reproduction vintage styles that are made by a lot of really small businesses. It's a very niche market,' Billingsley said.
She says it's the reproduction items that allow inclusivity, giving some the chance to embrace a more vintage look.
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'We're able to go up to a 4X or a 5X, which isn't always readily available in the true vintage pieces,' Billingsley said.
However, Billingsley says her store could change drastically after her wholesalers decided to cut ties over the weekend, citing the 184% tariff as the reason.
'One by one, all of my brands started emailing me, letting me know to 'get your orders in if you have any orders that you want to place. This is the last weekend for it,'' Billingsley said. 'They're being hit with tariffs on their end, and that kind of ripples down and affects us because they do wholesale those items to us. So, most of them are actually just shutting down their wholesale operations, which means we just won't be able to get any of those items until things are able to be sorted out. Which is super unfortunate.'
Billingsley says this move could affect a large portion of her customer base, but she's confident they'll be able to stay afloat.
'We've been through hardships before with COVID. We had just been open for a year prior to that, so you just pivot. You make the changes that are necessary, and hopefully it all changes for the better,' Billingsley said. 'Everybody is really disappointed and sad, but very understanding. Everybody's so supportive of our business, and I just encourage people as much as you can to shop small and to support other small businesses that may be experiencing this same struggle for sure.'
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