Shuo Wang/Dreamstime

By Jesse Gill

TARIFFS

Weddingstar CEO says international tariffs are also impacting Canadian companies

Aug 1, 2025 | 2:01 PM

Weddingstar, a Dunmore based company that designs, manufactures, and distributes wedding accessories and decor is also being impacted by international tariffs.

C-E-O Rick Brink said the 30 per cent duty on products from China is a big problem with companies right across the country.

He estimates that 80 per cent of the products they sell are made in China.

“It would be great if the U.S. would say, this product can be bought in the States. Here’s five, six suppliers, but the problem is they don’t even make it in the States, so you have to buy it outside of the U.S.,” Brink said.

“We’re just kind of caught in this tariff war that nobody wants to be part of,” he added.

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“What makes it difficult, I think, for our company and most companies across Canada is we’ve been in business for 40 years and we’ve kind of structured our company around the U.S. market.”

Brink said for things to change so quick and so much uncertainty in where it’s gonna even end up, it makes it difficult for companies to react when they don’t know what’s going to happen.

“I think it’s such a big market and Canada does need the U.S. market. Hopefully they can come up with something that’s reasonable, then companies can then start to work around,” Brink said.

“But right now with the uncertainty of where it could even end up, it’s really tough to make any kind of a business decision on what direction to go and what to do,” he added.

“We’re trying to get more sales out of the Canadian market. It is a tough market right now because there’s so much uncertainty and I think people are holding back.”

Brink said even in the U.S. with companies that he talks to, their sales are down with uncertainty in the U.S. market.

“Companies in the States are not even sure what direction to go or where things are gonna end up.”

Brink said the year for Weddingstar started out strong.

“Then once Trump got elected and with all these tariffs, it’s just been a whirlwind of not knowing what direction to go, increased costs,” Brink said.

Brink said a lot of the products they ship down to the U.S. where raised by 30 per cent.

“Tried to offset some of the duties that we’re having to pay and I think that something has to happen soon,” Brink said.

“It’s probably not gonna be as good as everybody wants it to be, but we’re just gonna have to get whatever’s given to us and then try to figure out, can we make it work?”

The company is now trying to look at ways to generate revenue that would have less taxes on it, more things that can be made developed and sold, looking to eliminate an instance of duty being applied.

At the end of August Brink said the duty will extend to them further.

“Some of our suppliers in India, Taiwan, and things like that, those products will also now start to see the increased 30% duty tariff applied to it,” Brink said.

“I talked to US companies and they’re in the same spot, like they’re having to pay 30 per cent more duty on the products that they bring into the States,” Brink said.

“There is increased costs come to them. And they’re uncertain where they’re gonna end up with their pricing and it’s just turmoil everywhere,” he added.

“It’s not just in Canada, the US companies are facing the same turmoil that we’re facing up here.”

You won’t notice an increase in prices at a few companies yet according to Brink, but he expects to see that happen when they get through their current inventory.

“Once that inventory goes through and they start to get into the new inventory that they have to bring in, prices are gonna start to come up,” Brink said.

“I think this fall is when they’re gonna start to see more issues with inventory prices going up and stuff like that, and a little bit of it now, but I think more is coming.”