For Matt Hassett, founder of New York-based sleep wellness brand Loftie, the year-end holiday rush has always kept him on his toes.

But this time, it has turned chaotic as import tariffs on China, from where Loftie sources its sunrise lamps and phone-free alarm clocks, disrupted supply chain.

“It’s been very difficult to prepare. We have sold down to extremely low stock levels – we probably have about 10% of the inventory we need,” he said earlier this week.

President Donald Trump’s tariff flip-flop on goods from China, a lifeline for U.S. retailers, has forced small firms such as Loftie to choose between paying steep levies or finding new suppliers at even higher cost.

When Trump threatened tariffs as high as 180% on Chinese imports in mid-April, Hassett explored shifting production t

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