A Minnesota small-business owner broke down on CNN while describing how Donald Trump’s tariffs have been devastating her olive oil and vinegar shop. Sarah Piepenburg, who runs Vinaigrette in Minneapolis, joined “The Lead” with guest anchor Phil Mattingly and said the impact has touched nearly everything in her store.
“Not only in the oils and vinegars that I import from all over the world, but down to my containers, the bottles that I use, the lids for my bottles, and even the shrink wrap for my bottles,” she said. “All aspects of my business have been impacted by these tariffs, and it’s been pretty substantial.”
Piepenburg explained that she has been forced to raise prices and cut back on expenses just to stay afloat. The situation worsened after the EU tariffs were finalized at 15 percent. “It’s hit every corner of what I do,” she said, adding that even basic supplies have become more expensive.
Her shop sources products from Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia, and she said Trump’s shifting tariff policies have been “extremely difficult to navigate.” To cope, she now lists a tariff charge on customer receipts so buyers can see exactly how much extra they’re paying.
That hasn’t gone over easily. “We’ve had some sticker shock,” Piepenburg admitted. “We know that we’re a luxury item. And my fear is that we will lose some of our customers as a result. We have seen a little bit of a decline in our sales. And again, with the expenses of every aspect of things that we’re doing going up.”
The struggle has taken a toll. She became emotional as she described the fallout. Tariffs, she said, have “made us late on our rent, it has made us late paying our employees.” To cover the gap, she has even taken a second job.
Piepenburg ended her interview with a direct plea to those in power. “It’s a lie to believe that anyone else but the American consumer is paying for these tariffs. And what I’m afraid of is we are going to drastically change Main Street businesses that make our communities. And I’m afraid, over time, what’s going to happen? And it’s been extremely difficult to continue this.”
Her story paints a personal picture of the ripple effects tariffs can have on small business owners who are already walking a financial tightrope. For Piepenburg, it’s not just about higher costs. It’s about whether her shop — and others like it — can survive at all.