Local owners in Virginia's 1st District absorb rising costs

High costs are reshaping daily operations for small businesses in Virginia's 1st Congressional District as the midterm election approaches. In the riverside town of Tappahannock, business owners report that input prices have outpaced menu adjustments, forcing them to alter supply chains and staffing models to stay afloat.

Jeans Owens, who co-owns the Java Jacks cafe, states that coffee prices have risen more than 30% since 2022. The cost of paper goods has also increased sharply, with to-go boxes now costing nearly 30 cents compared to 12 cents in the past. Owens says the combined cost of a cup, lid, and straw has jumped from about 3 cents to over 20 cents. Her monthly electricity bill, which typically ranges from $450 to $500, recently exceeded $1,000. To manage these expenses, Owens now purchases milk and juice from Walmart early in the morning and sources fresh fruit from a local grocery store. She also rotates among three suppliers to secure the lowest prices for other items.

Owens notes that customer behavior has shifted in response to higher prices. She observes an increase in orders shared by senior citizens and a fluctuation in tips tied to gas prices. While staff previously received generous tips due to the small atmosphere, those amounts decreased when gas prices rose and began to recover when they fell. Despite these changes, Owens says she has kept some menu items at $10 to maintain affordability for her regulars.

Staffing remains the primary stressor for the cafe. Owens operates another location across the river in Warsaw and has been short-staffed at both sites for months. She attributes this difficulty to rising rents in the rural area, where the median income is approximately $50,000 annually. Owens says she has helped employees find housing, including placing some in a motel temporarily, and currently carpools five employees to work because they lack reliable transportation. This labor shortage has required Owens to work kitchen shifts, delaying her administrative duties until evenings or days off.

Across the river in Richmond County, Jameka Campbell works two jobs and raises two children. She serves as an office manager at the Menokin historical site and as community and outreach director for the nonprofit Just Harvest Va. Campbell says she monitors household expenses closely by using the Walgreens app to clip coupons and track sales. On a recent shopping trip, she purchased items including toilet paper, Lysol, and laundry detergent for $60.04, saving $27.71 through rewards and discounts. She describes this saving as enough to cover a meal or a quarter tank of gas.

The 1st Congressional District includes this eastern Virginia area, where a tight race is underway between Republican incumbent Rob Wittman and Democrat Shannon Taylor. Owens, who is running for the non-partisan town council, says she wants the district's representative to understand the financial pressure on local businesses. She bluntly states that she is struggling. Campbell says she is researching the candidates' backgrounds, including their property ownership and living situations, before deciding who to vote for.

Campbell describes her financial position as in-between, noting that she could lose both jobs in an instant. She says she draws motivation from the history of the enslaved people who farmed Menokin. If they endured their hardships, she tells herself, she can manage the current economic strain. She continues to work both jobs and plan her grocery trips with precision.