Beloved family-run grocery store forced to close after 40 years - as owner bitterly regrets voting Trump
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A beloved family-run grocery store in Florida may have to close its doors after 43 years because of tariffs.
Wong Kai Imports was opened by John Wong along with his two brothers in 1983 years after their family immigrated to the United States.
The grocer became a local staple, and it has been beloved by residents of Manatee County, where there are only a few other Asian markets.
Wong Kai was formerly an extremely lucrative wholesale business operating out of a warehouse in Bradenton, FL.
Wong cut the operation loose 10 years ago to prioritize his health, but his adjacent grocery store has remained open and popular.
The market, which is just an hour away from Tampa, is the go-to spot for Asian sauces, ramen noodles, foreign candy, and so much more.
That was, at least, until President Donald Trump's tariffs came into the picture.
Wong himself voted for Trump last November. He was drawn in by the Republican candidate's promise to lower grocery prices.
John Wong immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong as a child and opened Wong Kai Imports alongside his two brothers in 1983
Wong Kai was formerly an extremely lucrative wholesale business operating out of a warehouse in Bradenton, Florida
But now, as Wong's very own grocery business is sinking, he is no doubt having second thoughts about his presidential pick.
Grocery inflation is at a two-year high, and things only seem to be getting worse.
Wong told NPR that almost all of his products have gone up in price since the beginning of this year.
For example, a box of ready-made sauce for mabo tofu, a spicy dish from Sichuan, China: 'It came in at $2.75 last year. Then, at the beginning of this year, it went up to $3.95,' Wong said.
'We just had this shipment come in yesterday — it’s $5. We cannot catch up. Every shipment coming in, we have to put a new price on it.'
Wong doesn't want his loyal customers to suffer, especially because many are older and live on fixed-incomes, so he's swallowed a lot of the extra costs.
But he can only do that for so long before his company crumbles.
'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."'
The aisles of Wong Kai are stocked with products from across Asia
Most of the products are being imported from countries with some of the highest tariffs under Trump's economic policies
Wong Kai is loved by locals and has many loyal customers who would be distraught to see the market go under
Grocery inflation is at a two-year high, and things only seem to be getting worse with President Donald Trump's tariffs
A popular family-run grocery store in Florida is facing extreme financial difficulties because of tariffs (stock image)
The aisles of Wong Kai are stocked with products from countries facing the most extreme tariffs: Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and China.
Trump has threatened China with tariffs as high as 145 percent. This is bad news for Wong Kai, as Chinese important make up half of the grocery store's inventory.
With grocery prices rising by the day, Wong doesn't know if his market will survive until the end of the year.
'With the economy like that, it's very hard for not just me. It's for a lot of people,' he said.
Wong referred to one of his customers, an elderly woman who has started rationing a tin can of sardines to eat with rice throughout the week.
Since he moved to the US from Hong Kong as a child, Wong has worked hard and it has paid off. But business hasn't been the same for a long time.
Over the past five years, the cost of goods has doubled with no indication of slowing down, leaving Wong to ask: 'Is there any future? Is this the American dream?'
