Toy store owner takes steps to keep prices down for customers due to tariffs
A toy store owner in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood said she's worried about her future and trying to keep prices down for her customers due to President Trump's tariff war with China.
By Samantha Chaney
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BOSTON (WBZ) — A toy store owner in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood said she’s worried about her future and trying to keep prices down for her customers due to President Trump’s tariff war with China.
For years, Boing! Toy Shop has offered families of Jamaica Plain a joyful alternative to big-box stores.
“A lot of the things that you find here, you won’t find at Amazon or Target or any of those other big box stores,” said Nermeen Tahoun, the store’s new owner.
Price increases on toys made in China
Tahoun took over last September. Since then, she said it was thriving—until a recent wave of vendor emails signaled trouble.
“About a month ago, I started getting spreadsheets showing price increases,” Tahoun explained. Many of the toys she stocks are manufactured in China. The tariffs on Chinese imports, reintroduced under President Trump, have hit her inventory hard.
“Some items you could look at and the price increase anywhere from like $1 to $5,” she told WBZ. “Bigger items, you’re looking at even higher.”
Trump addressed the issue at a cabinet meeting Wednesday, stating, “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”
Toy shop owner stocks up on inventory
To brace for the impact, Tahoun has stocked the basement of her store with enough toys to last through October. She’s hoping it will help her business while maintaining the loyalty of her customers.
“Not everyone has that extra couple of bucks, and that’s the reality of the world that we live in,” said Tahoun. “If you are going to go and buy a toy, we want to you come here, and we want to keep our prices as competitive as possible while also being a small business.”
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