A beloved family-run grocery store in Florida is facing closure. The establishment has been open for the past 43 years. But due to the economy, it doesn’t know if it can keep its doors open past the end of the year.
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John Wong started Wong Kai Imports with his two brothers and a dream in 1983. An immigrant to America, Wong opened a beloved Asian market in Manatee County. However, tariffs on goods and the increase of prices of food have put an economic strain on the store.
Speaking with NPR, Wong says that he doesn’t know if he can stay open despite customers pleading with him not to close.
“I talk to a lot of customers. They told me, ‘Mr. Wong, don’t close. Stay open for another three years,'” said Wong, “I said, ‘I try, but it’s hard. It’s very hard.'”
Florida Grocery Store Uncertain Future
Take this as an example. Wong sells ready-made sauces for mabo tofu. The prices to import the sauces have steadily increased.
“It came in at $2.75 last year. Then, at the beginning of this year, it went up to $3.95. We just had this shipment come in yesterday — it’s $5,” said Wong. “We cannot catch up. Every shipment coming in, we have to put a new price on it.”
Wong says the future is uncertain for the grocery store due to economic strain.
“I mean, with the economy like that, it’s very hard for not just me. It’s for a lot of people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alex Durante, an economist with the Tax Foundation, an independent think tank, told the outlet that the grocery store isn’t the only one feeling the strain. Durante said that foreign imports have taken a hit.
“I think the [current] administration has this mistaken belief that foreign imports are bad and domestic production is good,” said Alex Durante, an economist with the Tax Foundation, an independent think tank. “Of course, domestic production is good, but it just depends on what sector. There are many cases where it is better for American consumers and businesses to import certain components cheaply from abroad.”
We’ll see what becomes of the grocery store.