Durham Reporter

First, businesses faced challenges like shutdowns associated with COVID-19, then came supply-chain problems that led to higher prices and scant supplies, and now the invasion of Ukraine is affecting the Triangle's small businesses.

"Ever since COVID, it's been hard to get products consistently,” Kejiuane Hester, owner of Favor Desserts on South Alston Avenue in Durham, told ABC 11 News. 

Of course, as businesses are squeezed, they have to raise consumer prices, which in turn sparks customer complaints. 

That’s not the only hurdle entrepreneurs are facing. Hester said his grand opening, as he relocates his shop, has been delayed a couple of times.

Owners of small businesses told ABC 11 they want patrons to know that the price increases aren't about business owners making higher profits, but rather just to be able stay open.

Prices on supplies have doubled since the Ukraine invasion. Hester said he’s paying $4,500 a week on the products he needs to make his baked goods, twice what he had to pay in the not-too-distant past. He's also experienced shortages in wheat flour and cream cheese.

Other food-service businesses echo that concern, citing the $60 price tag for cooking oil that used to cost less than $20.

While everyday people struggle with sticker shock each time they shop, the unanswered question is how much more of an uptick consumers and entrepreneurs will see.

The one advantage for Americans is that the U.S. isn't heavily dependent on Russian exports, according to ABC 11 News. That, however, doesn’t mean much for families seeing their dollars stretched to the breaking point.