Dallas Market Center backs retailers in tariff fight with new initiative

Dallas Market Center (DMC) is launching a slew of new programs and a petition as part of an initiative to support small U.S. businesses in the wake of recent tariff announcements.

Entitled “Stand With Main Street. Turn Off Tariffs,” the core message of the campaign is to advocate for a 90-day pause on all tariffs between the U.S. and China, “allowing for the free flow of goods critical to the upcoming holiday selling season for independent retailers,” according to a release

“Tariffs have placed an immediate and significant burden on Main Street retailers, which represent a vital share of the 4.6 million retail businesses in the U.S., not to mention the companies that supply them with goods,” wrote DMC in its release about the initiative. “With the holiday season fast approaching, which represents nearly $994 billion in retail sales, the impact is growing more severe by the day. If goods are not in transit within the next few weeks, economic consequences will be dire for the 55 million American jobs supported by retail.”

A petition has been launched in association with the campaign. The goal of the petition is to unify support across all retailers, manufacturers and their sales representatives, service providers and other retail stakeholders. The petition is available via the front page of the Dallas Market Center website and social media channels.

“Now is the time for grassroots action,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of DMC. “It has become clear to our family-owned business that there is a small window of time to support Main Street retailers preparing for their holiday selling season and the companies providing their merchandise. While the dynamics are different for each type of retail business, we must unite around hundreds of thousands of store owners who depend upon Q4 commerce.”

In addition to the petition, Dallas Market Center is creating new initiatives to connect customers, unify voices and share information to support independent retailers. That includes the following:

• Coordination with the National Retail Federation (NRF), including hosting an in-person, morning forum on June 17 featuring Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy, to present insights and to join with leading manufacturers to discuss the path forward.
• An online retailer roundtable featuring several of the most successful independent retailers in the U.S. discussing how they are adapting their business for 2025.
• Special in-person seminar programming for the upcoming summer markets addressing business uncertainty.
• Participation and advocacy via key trade organizations hard at work to fight tariffs.
• Coordination of the DMC Retail Development team to speak directly with hundreds of retailers over the coming weeks for questions and concerns.
• A dedicated email newsletter for tariffs and trade news as well as retail support.