SAN ANTONIO – Hugo Flores, owner of Texas Hats in Market Square, said 100% of what he sells comes from Mexico.
Now, he is extremely worried about how he will keep his business open with Mexico recently announcing a suspension of shipping to the U.S. on top of the tariff exemptions ending Friday.
“All we have to do is pray to stay in business,” Flores said.
Flores told KSAT it’s a “horrible situation.”
“It’s going to be a total chaos bringing stuff back,” Flores said. “And of course you have to raise your prices, and you’re going to have to do what you have to do, but the way it is right now, we’re not even making money to buy goods. ... It’s just horrible.”
Lucia Romero said this is just another hurdle the small businesses in Market Square are dealing with. First it was the COVID-19 pandemic, then what she calls the never-ending construction around Market Square — and now this.
“Of course it’s going to be more expensive every time, and with this new government, it’s just not making it any better,” Romero said. “We need help out here, I mean between construction and all these tariffs, it’s just incredible to keep up with this business.”
Flores said Texas Hats has been in business for almost seven years, but he doesn’t know what the future will look like.
“This is a Mexican market, so people come here to San Antonio looking for souvenirs from stuff from Mexico,” Flores said. “So if that is the case, that they’re going to raise the prices ... and it’s going to be harder for us, to bring stuff from over there, I mean I don’t know what we’re going to do honestly.”
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