The phone keeps ringing in Kevin Lococo’s office with the same question from prospective customers: “Are your products actually made in America?”
Yes, Lococo is proud to say. The tables, chairs and dance floors he sells for PS Furniture are made in a little town south of Erie, Pennsylvania. It’s been that way since 1919. The company is one of the last remaining U.S. manufacturers of commercial furniture used in schools, offices, convention centers and event venues.
Cheap Chinese products dominate this industry, but President Donald Trump’s 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports changed everything — in unexpected ways.
Suddenly, Lococo is getting calls from customers he was never able to win before. He just sold almost $100,000 worth of plywood tables to a new client. For years, he perfected his sales pitch that if you buy from China, your tables and chairs will fall apart soon. If you buy from PS Furniture, they’ll last a decade or more. Now, he’s selling high-quality products at a very competitive price. There’s no “tariff fee” tacked on.
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