CAMBRIDGE, Md. - A Dorchester County business owner is sounding the alarm as new tariffs make it harder to stay afloat.
At River Dog Outfitters, Marc Knight sells electric bikes alongside pet supplies. But he says this season, getting customers onto one of his bikes has been a struggle.
“This is the high time to be selling bikes and so far I've sold one,” said Knight, owner of River Dog Outfitters.
Knight blames a recent round of tariffs introduced by the Trump administration, as well as retaliatory trade measures from China, for the slowdown.
“Almost all e-bikes today are manufactured in China, Taiwan or Vietnam,” Knight said. “With the recent retaliatory tariffs, which might be as much as 145% on Chinese bikes, we're seeing price increases, not only from the manufacturers, but also in all the spare parts that go into it.”
That’s driving up costs not only for customers looking to buy, but also for those trying to maintain bikes they already own. With demand down, Knight fears he may have to shut down his shop—just a year after opening.
“It's going to be harder to maintain, you know, enough revenue to keep operating,” he said.
Knight says rising interest rates are also playing a role in suppressing demand.
“My cost to borrow and my customer's cost to borrow [are] much more expensive. That's kind of slowing down some demand. And then just the uncertainty. These are all discretionary purchases. So not something I have to have. And people are kind of waiting to see what's going to happen to my food bill, what's going to happen to my energy bill. If those things start to go up, I'm going to have less money in my pocket to go out and buy things like e-bikes,” Knight explained.
Other nearby business owners are concerned as well.
“Well, we don't need another business to close down in Cambridge. We think we're on a trajectory upwards for more vibrant and varied businesses. So it's distressing to hear that,” said Sims Rogers, co-owner of Malina Custom Leather.
Knight said he purchased his current stock of e-bikes before the round of tariffs went into effect and is trying to keep his prices competitive. He hopes that as temperatures rise, so will his sales.