‘It’s scary’: Tariffs leave metro manufacturing town on edge

CLAYCOMO, Mo. (KCTV) - Tariffs have left one of Kansas City’s manufacturing towns on edge for the future.

Ford Motor Company announced Thursday that it is offering discounted prices on all its gas, electric, and hybrid models to match employee pricing as new auto tariffs take effect. The move coincides with the imposition of a 25% tariff on foreign vehicles, a policy shift that has sparked economic uncertainty in communities like Claycomo, home to the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant.

Local business owners and residents in the area are bracing for the economic ripple effects of the tariffs. Nelle Belle’s Diner, a long-standing establishment just two miles from the Ford plant, has served as a community hub since 1965. Owner Dixie Edwards said the uncertainty is unsettling for business owners and residents alike.

“It’s scary. That is sort of our lifeline, and I want it to stay,” Edwards said.

Diner staff member Amy Jeffries echoed those concerns, noting that business has already slowed as tariffs drive up food costs and factory workers limit spending.

“If they’re down or laid off, they can’t come in and eat. If they’re not getting overtime, we’re not getting the younger group that depends on that overtime and gets excited to have it,” Jeffries said.

Rising costs have forced the diner to adapt.

“We might shuffle around to two or three different stores to get eggs cheaper than what we’re having to pay from our food vendor, and so product is scarce, our freezers are not overflowing,” said Jeffries.

Staff have been fighting to keep prices low but share that they are uncertain how long businesses like theirs can survive. Staff members said nervous chatter about the future have been heard across the restaurant from customers.

“My people, they’re older clientele, you know, and they went through the end of the Depression and everything, so they don’t want anything bad to happen again,” Edwards said.

The uncertainty has even led to discussions about closing the business, though Edwards remains hopeful.

“I just have such a loyal following of older customers in the village. Some of them are just coming in two or three times a week now, maybe just getting a cup of coffee or biscuits and gravy because of the price,” Edwards said. “It will get better, and I think it will. It’s just gonna take a little while.”

As the community navigates these economic changes, business owners in Claycomo are urging residents to continue supporting local establishments through this period of uncertainty.

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