For each small business Willette LeGrant stepped into in downtown Flossmoor Wednesday, the more she said she felt connected to the community as a whole.
“I do not feel like I was talking to small businesses,” the Illinois district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration said after the tour, guided by Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson. “I felt like I was talking to members of my family.”
In celebration of National Small Business Week, LeGrant visited and chatted with entrepreneurs leading businesses that included a vintage furniture and record store and a gourmet cookie company.
“When I came in early this morning, I just got the small town sense,” LeGrant said after admiring a rug made from neckties within Gypsy Fix, a boutique clothing, accessory and furniture store on Sterling Avenue. “A small town doing really incredibly big things.”
LeGrant was welcomed to Flossmoor with open arms, given free food samples and even a confetti filled balloon with her name on it from Balloon Bar and Party Supplies, a storefront that Javanah Barnes opened only a month ago.
But what wasn’t discussed during the walking tour was how these businesses could be affected by President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.
Fresh on the block, Barnes said Balloon Bar has received an outpouring of community support and has quickly gotten busy planning and constructing displays for high school proms, graduations and other events.
Barnes buys her balloons and party supplies from American companies but understands many of the products are manufactured overseas. She said she worries Trump’s tariffs could force her to raise prices.
“I don’t want to make it unaffordable for my customers,” Barnes said. “I pride myself on being an affordable balloon store. Even with my installations, people come and say, ‘oh that’s so affordable,’ so I’d like to keep it that way.”
Similarly concerned about increased costs being passed onto consumers was Gypsy Fix’s Morgan Regas, who ahead of Trump’s push for American manufacturing prioritized buying as much of her inventory as possible from people she knows personally.
Regas said she started Gypsy Fix about six years ago as a passion project, working seven days a week on top of two other jobs that help her make ends meet.
Her own artistry is present throughout the well-lit storefront decorated with inspirational messages often focusing on women empowerment. She said she prides herself on crafting antique style pieces with “someone’s garbage,” such as lamps built out of old musical instruments.
“Now that I’ve been doing this for awhile, neighbors will come and say, ‘hey Morgan, there’s this great piece on the side of the street, do you want me to grab it?’” Regas said.
But Regas said despite prioritizing affordability, she’s struggled with sales this year as customers grapple with inflation and economic uncertainty. Concerns over potential tariffs may just be the nail in her business’ coffin.
“With all the new stuff coming up, it’s even scarier,” Regas said. “The last thing I would ever want to do is walk away from this store. This is home, it’s what I love. I love my community.”
Regas said she set an arbitrary date, July 15, by which she will decide whether to close.
“If things don’t get a little bit better by then, I have to be realistic,” she said. “I have two kids at home; I’m terrified.”
LeGrant said she completely supports businesses like Gypsy Fix, which she said “make this country strong.”
She declined to comment on how Trump’s tariffs could hurt small businesses but said she believes entrepreneurs will be able to pivot when faced with challenges.
“Change is something that they recognize,” LeGrant said. “To be a small business, you have to be adaptable to change … What we’re trying to do is help them be more efficient, help them understand their cash flows, help them understand how they can manage inventory more effectively.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com