Chengdu Teahouse in Old Town Lansing had been open just a few weeks when owner Elyse Ribbons found out that two of her suppliers would no longer export their products to the United States, citing tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump.
Ribbons opened the teahouse in late February, aiming to create a “third space” for people to gather socially.
“I was obviously looking forward to sharing Chinese tea, but incorporating local Michigan-produced tea as well as other tea from all over the world, and it just felt a little bit like a rug was pulled out from underneath me,” Ribbons said.
While the added cost is part of why the suppliers will no longer send their products to the United States, Ribbons said the bigger issue is the uncertainty about what the federal government actually plans to do.
“It’s that instability,” Ribbons said. “It’s the fact that nobody knows. Is there a tariff? How much is it? Is it on today? Is it on tomorrow? Is it on in 90 days? We don’t know, yay!”
Ribbons said some suppliers suggested shipping the tea to Canada and importing it from there.
“I find it ironic that America declared its independence from the U.K. via the Boston Tea Party, and here I am with a tea business, similarly frustrated with our federal government,” Ribbons said.
She said her business being so new has given her flexibility to pivot, and she has started importing tea from countries like Nepal that are not currently tariffed.
“I have a luxury in that my whole business, because it’s so new, is very slim,” Ribbons said. “A shoestring budget is what I already had, so I can keep working with that. I won’t be able to expand anytime soon, but I can survive.”
While Ribbons said she is having “lots of stress-related dreams,” she added that the Lansing community has been very supportive of her business through the challenges.
“The local populace is incredibly supportive and goes out of their way to support not just my business, but others in the community,” Ribbons said. “If I have to suffer, at least I get to suffer with kind people, and I feel like this community still wants me to be here and wants me to thrive.”
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.