HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - It’s been a tough year for small business owners, who’ve had to deal with tariffs, inflation and a lot of uncertainty.

As we head into the biggest shopping period of the year, they hope deep discounts and the holiday spirit will put consumers in a spending mood.

As the decorations and sale signs go up, so does hope for entrepreneurs like Summer Shiigi, who could use a little holiday cheer.

“September and October were really slow for us. It was actually really scary. I think the federal furloughs really affected our customer base,” she said.

Business is picking up again at her Ten Tomorrow shop and Daily Whisk Matcha cafe in Kaimuki, even though she’s had to raise prices to cover higher expenses.

“Most of our customers are local, which is really important, an

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