News from CM’s CEO, Alison Dutton

Yesterday, I received a message from our Creative Memories CEO, Alison Dutton, regarding tariffs and how it will affect pricing. Please let me know if you have any questions! CM manufactures as much in the USA as they can, but there are no steel tool manufacturers in the U.S. anymore. That is why CM has had to source overseas. (Photo not related to the post, but a bit of pretty from Miami to help lighten the news a little, maybe).

As many of you are aware, new tariffs on goods manufactured in China began on Feb. 10, 2025, and then were ramped up further on March 4, 2025. While we adjusted 2025 prices on Feb. 12, 2025, those adjustments were related to increases in raw materials, finished goods and labor we’ve seen across the global economy in the past few years. Up to that date, we had absorbed as much cost as possible. They were not related to tariffs.

Due to these tariffs on China-made goods, there will be 60 products with increases.​They average about 8.5% — though Chinese tariffs are set at 20%. We chose to increase prices instead of adding a surcharge in the cart because, in my opinion, getting to the cart and thinking you understand what you will pay and seeing a number that doesn’t match is not a positive experience (think of booking hotels, concert tickets, etc.).

We did not want to increase the price any more than we absolutely had to. You will notice that the increases include staple products manufactured in China like the 12-inch Trimmer, Photo Trimmer, storage products and a variety of tools. It will also include NEW decorative products and tools like BMCs and embellishments. Decorative products and tools that we have already imported and don’t restock will not be touched.

Should these tariffs be removed, we will remove the price increases from these products.

All of this has happened extremely quickly and has been unpredictable to us — it may feel the same way for you. Our mission to you is to be reliable and trustworthy so we can be around for decades to come. While this is not a pleasant update to share, please know it is a necessary one for us to stay true to that mission.