If youâve ever been to an anime or any fan convention, you know that the place thatâs often the busiest is artists alley. There, creators sell their wares ranging from commissioned artwork to stickers, enamel pins, stuffed toys, apparel, food, and more. Often these goods are made with the artistâs own hand. Other times, merchants are resellers, importing goods that are hard to find domestically, like gunpla kits, from markets where theyâre more abundant. But with the Trump tariffs in effect, artists alleys might soon become ghost towns.
The Verge spoke to several fandom and gaming-adjacent small businesses about what theyâre doing to prepare for the tariffs which threaten to destroy businesses of all sizes throughout the US.
Stocking up
An artist who simply goes by Biggles has been doing art commissions for the last eight years.
âI love drawing Vtubers and I love the community so much that my husband and I ended up opening our own merch store, VTHorizons,â Biggles said in an interview on Discord. The store is stocked with merchandise of several Vtubers including Biggles herself who streams in the persona of a funny-looking cat on Twitch. âWe do acrylics, glass …
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