Amid ever-evolving tariffs and counter-tariffs between Canada, the United States and China, it has been a confusing few months for one of Toronto’s oldest religious goods stores.

Joseph’s Inspirational Inc. is operated by husband and wife Joseph and Susanne Rizza. The shop located in Scarborough has been supplying religious goods such as  communion gifts, children's books, sacramental gifts, as well as church supplies in the form of chalices, vestments, candles and altar bread for the past 35 years. 

While Rizza confirmed business is still going strong today, as both in-store and online sales from around the world continue to excel, the looming uncertainty of the Donald Trump administration's tariffs on Canada and the world has been on his mind for months now. 

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“ When people talk about the tariffs that the U.S is putting on China, we thought it was not going to affect us until we realized that about 90 per cent of our purchases are directly from the U.S,” he said. "Right now, most of our suppliers in the U.S. that sell things like statues, rosaries and gifts are being imported from China. Even though we don't have Canadian tariffs on the U.S. yet, our suppliers are raising all the prices.” 

Rizza has received  notifications of a 10- to 20-per-cent increase from the majority of the suppliers that were importing products from China, a reality he admits his team did not know how to navigate. 

“We decided not to change our inventory as we had already purchased the items, but because we sell online as well, bringing products in is suddenly at a 20-per-cent increase. We changed our online prices to reflect the goods that were being imported from China, but within two weeks, these new tariffs raised them another 20 per cent,” he said. 

“That puts some of our gifts at 40-per-cent higher, which is a lot. Are our customers going to pay that? We don’t know.”

For example, a  Jesus and the Children statue that typically retailed for $65 almost doubled in price to $110, a stark difference Rizza knows likely isn’t sustainable. 

Serious concerns linger at the prospect of retaliatory Canadian tariffs on American products. For the Easter season, Joseph’s Inspirational imports palms from the United States, with Rizza unsure if  church customers can — or will —  tolerate price increases due to tariff-induced rising costs. 

Joseph's also sells  sacramental wine and altar bread imported from the United States. 

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“ We had some serious concerns when the Ontario government talked about banning U.S liquor and wine because approximately $165 a case at a 40-per-cent increase would be devastating,” Rizza said. “The only sacramental wine that I'm aware of is coming from California and has for a hundred years, so it's not like we have options.”

For the Rizzas, it's been a combination of momentary relief and future anxiousness.

“We have been walking on eggshells lately, lucky that (tariffs on U.S. products) haven’t been enforced yet. The products in our inventory are safe for the moment, but as for new products, we simply don't know yet."

It's a cross-border issue as the same anxiety is gripping American retailers. OSV News reported several U.S. religious goods industry professionals are still navigating how the new tariffs will impact their business operations locally and internationally. April 9 saw the Trump administration put a 90-day pause on the higher tariffs for most countries, while keeping the 10-per-cent minimum in place, along with China's 125-per-cent rate. And there is no certainty on what the U.S. President will do from day-to-day.

Thinking proactively, the Rizzas have been exploring purchasing inventory directly from Europe. Companies in Poland and Italy are known for their vestments, clergy shirts and chalices, purchases that would bypass American tariffs.

“It would be more expensive, and the shipping costs are astronomical, but we are weighing the advantages and disadvantages of buying from the U.S. depending on how things play out,” Rizza said. 

Rizza plans on  flying to Italy to meet with suppliers to see how beneficial buying direct may be. To him, it may be the start of a race against the clock. 

“With this new 125-per-cent tariff increase on U.S. imports from China, that’s going to shut the market down, I don't think people will buy it,” he said. “ Some of these suppliers are going to go out of business, I would think, so  we are looking at new markets like Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland, for sure.” 

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He hopes that he and his wife won’t have to worry for long, with the Rizzas hoping to retire after 35 years of service in the near future. 

“I’m going (to Italy) for the suppliers, but I also want to retire there,” he said. “ We are doing so well, but we also want to eventually come to an end and find someone to take over our work here.”