MCGREGOR, Texas (KXXV) — With tariffs looming on lumber, custom furniture store owner Jason Watts of Simply Wood discusses why his products and materials, made in America, have ultimately benefited him.
- President Trump has a 34.45% proposed tariff on imported lumber.
- Simply Wood has been in business since 2019, with the majority of the furniture it sells being made in America.
- Simply Wood's lumber is sourced from the northeastern part of the United States.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
KXXV first told you about the possible impact of lumber tariffs on local contractors like Rick Chavez.
“Not only does it affect my business because the prices go up, but it also affects my customers,” Chavez said, owner of Rick’s Quality Painting and Remodel.
But what about the furniture that fills these homes being built?
“This is what I grew up in, and I noticed that Central Texas needed a solid hardwood place where they could find solid hardwood furniture. Most of what you find nowadays is mass-produced,” Jason Watts said, Owner of Simply Wood.
Jason Watts of Simply Wood said he’s not too worried about the lumber tariffs just yet. The reason: buying American.
“The quality and also just supporting American workers, you know, but the biggest thing I would think is it's a quality product, furniture you'll buy one time furniture,” Jason said.
“We specialize in American hardwoods, so hickory, oak, maple, cherry,y walnut, you know, things like that,” he added.
Since opening this small business in 2019, Jason says that the majority of the wood used for his products comes from the northeastern U.S.
“That's where your best hardware grows, grows slow in the cold weather, which gives you a tighter grain pattern, better quality lumber,” Jason said.
With President Trump setting a 34.45% tariff on imported lumber, Jason says the motivation to buy American has never been higher.
“I think at the end of the day it's going to encourage people to buy American and it's going to build more American industry and encourage furniture to be built here again as it was in the past, because over the last 20 or 30 years they've moved the production overseas to get it built cheaper, but in turn, they sacrificed quality so, yes. I still have some products from Mexico. The main thing here at our shop though— I make sure everything is solid wood, and I've actually spoke to some of our people with our companies in Mexico, and as of right now, tariffs have not affected us at all on that," Jason said.
