Over the past several months, many local businesses in the Parkway area have faced challenges due to the sweeping tariffs. Small businesses are often hit harder by tariffs because they have fewer ways to absorb costs and less negotiating power with suppliers.

Last year, President Trump’s imposed tariffs disrupted global trade, with rates and targets changing almost weekly.

Liquor businesses across the United States have faced major disruptions due to tariffs. Gary Park, the President of Gary’s Liquors in West Roxbury, said he bought in heavily to stay ahead of the tariffs.

“I loaded in across the board in hopes we could ride it out and that they would be reduced or negotiated by now. It doesn’t look like that’s happening.” Park noted that a lot of importers and wholesalers he works with took the same approach.

Last year, Trump threatened a 200 percent tariff on European Union (EU) wine, champagne, and other alcoholic beverages. By August 2025, the United States and EU agreed to a 15 percent tariff on most EU goods, including imported wine and spirits.

The effects on alcohol prices are expected to become noticeable in the first quarter of 2026. Park explained that while some of the tariffs are being absorbed by importers, wholesalers, and retailers, not all of the costs can be absorbed. Even alcohol packaging – including imported aluminum cans and glass bottles – is subject to additional tariffs.

“There won’t be much that will not be impacted,” he said. “This will continue to hurt my industry, which has already seen a decrease in consumption and people drinking cheaper options.”

Delini Gelato is a family-owned gelato shop in West Roxbury, known for its authentic Italian gelato made fresh in small batches every day. But over the past six months, tariffs have had a “negative and harmful” impact on the gelato store. Owner Viktoria Petkova explained that, as a small business with tight margins, the added costs from these tariffs have been very difficult to absorb without impacting both pricing and long-term planning.

Petkova said Delini prides itself in using high-quality ingredients, which have been heavily impacted by tariffs.

“We import pistachios and hazelnuts from Italy, and we source our chocolate from France. Since the implementation of the tariffs last year, the cost of these ingredients has increased by approximately 100 percent,” she said. “These are not optional or luxury inputs for us – they are central to the quality and identity of our products – so there are very limited alternatives available.”

Rather than completely removing certain flavors from their menu due to limited supply or the inability to import consistently, Petkova has restricted their availability. Some flavors are only offered on weekends or in very small quantities.

“While this allows us to continue offering them in some capacity, it is far from ideal and has been disappointing for both our team and our customers,” she said.

Keeping up with the frequent changes to tariff policies has also been a significant challenge for Delini. Petkova explained that the ongoing uncertainty makes it difficult to forecast costs, maintain stable pricing, or make confident decisions about growth.

“This unpredictability creates continuous financial strain and pulls time and resources away from serving customers and improving our offerings,” she stated.

Other local businesses have not seen a big impact, noting that their vendors absorbed the tariff costs.

“Initially, the tariffs reduced some [floral] availability, but that quickly disappeared,” explained Rick Canale of Exotic Flowers, located on 609 American Legion Hwy. in Roslindale. He remarked that lower fuel costs have played a big role in supporting his business.

“Being a small business with 96 years of experience, we are fortunate. We can adjust quickly. Flowers are a global marketplace and there is always someone ready to step in to fill the gaps,” said Canale.

In the upcoming weeks, the US Supreme Court is set to rule on the implications and legality of Trump’s global duties on trade partners.

The Center for American Progress reported that from April-September 2025, small-business importers faced roughly $25,000 in additional monthly costs due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, compared to 2024.

Business sentiment in Massachusetts declined 1.7 points in December, according to the Associated Industries of Massachusetts. This marks the 10th month in a row that companies have reported a negative outlook.

“It looks like this will be a very challenging year for businesses like mine that sell products from all over the world,” stated Park.