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Shop Talk reporter Virginia Bridges asked small business owners located in and near downtown Durham about their reaction to the “fiscal cliff” deal and how they expect it to impact their business.
• “I think it is nice that Congress is finally willing to come together and negotiate with one another, even though it can be a protracted process,” said Nicole Baxter, owner and interior designer for nBaxter Design, a nearly 8-year-old full-service interior design firm. “Now that is over, we can start focusing on more job creation.”
• “I am still unsure how my business will be directly affected but understand that there are larger tax savings for small business and for projects done in the United States but located internationally,” said Alison Steele, principal and owner of A+S Design, a 5-year-old interior design firm that works with architectural firms and individuals. “With one project in Beijing, I hope to acquire more international projects with bigger tax benefits that I would then reinvest in A+S Design.”
• “My reaction is a sense of relief. I should say temporary relief because we have the debt ceiling crisis right around the corner,” said Larry Herst, principal for Triangle Ecycling, a 9-month-old business that recycles computers and electronics. “I don’t think it is going to have much of an impact on my business. … It has taken a little bit of uncertainty out of the market, and so I think that is a good thing.”
• “I am like half of America, I don’t know what a ‘fiscal cliff’ is, and I don’t care,” said Joe Badalamenti, owner of Palermo Deli, a 6-year-old sandwich and sub shop. “All I learned in the last few months is no one in Washington seems to care about getting anything done because of special interest groups.”
