BUSINESS
“If prices jump like they did during COVID, I’m out,” he said grimly. “You can’t sell someone a lobster tail for $23 if last month it was $13. They’ll just walk away.” That uncertainty isn’t just local; it’s systemic. A federal court has blocked many of the new tariffs, but appeals are ongoing. Congress is considering the Trade Review Act to rein in the executive branch’s sweeping trade powers. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that tariffs could raise household costs by $2,100 to $3,800 annually and increase consumer prices by up to 2⅓%. Strategy: ‘Keep showing up’ Shrimply the Best is a simple operation. Eckelman sells seafood with a handshake and
a receipt. In the winter, when Maricopa fills with snowbirds, he might serve more than 100 customers per day. These summer months are a different story. “It slows way down,” he said in a mid- June interview when temperatures had already reached 114 degrees in Maricopa. “People aren’t wanting to stop when it’s 115 degrees out.” His father, Dennis, who founded the business and now suffers from dementia, taught him the basics. “He didn’t use any social media. Didn’t take credit cards. Just took cash and toughed it out,” Eckelman said. Today, Eckelman takes payments by phone, runs ads on Facebook and still hauls his coolers in the back of a van. “Once you get going and you’ve done it for a little bit, it’s pretty self-explanatory,” he said. “You just got to keep showing up.” For economists and policymakers, Eckelman’s van is more a parable than a business. It offers a human-scale lens on complicated global issues. You don’t need spreadsheets to understand the impact of trade barriers when you’re buying scallops out of a van. Moody’s economist Mark Zandi put it plainly: “We are back on recession watch.” “Global uncertainty is up. So are prices,” he said. Eckelman’s measure is more grounded: Can he still afford to stock the van? “I wish I could say, ‘Hey, the tariffs have done this or that,’” he said, worried if his customers would be sympathetic when he was still mulling the price hikes. As the interview wrapped up, Eckelman offered some industry wisdom and a sales pitch. “I’m a grill guy. It just makes the shrimp pop when you have it on a grill. But, you know, if you’ve watched Forrest Gump, there’s lots of ways to cook shrimp,” he said. “I’m out there most Saturdays after 10 a.m. Stop by and try our scallops.” In an economy spinning with uncertainty, Justin Eckelman keeps showing up. Coolers loaded. Shrimp chilled. Faith intact. You can’t sell someone a lobster tail for $23 if last month it was $13. They’ll just walk away.” JUSTIN ECKELMAN, FISHMONGER
JUSTIN ECKELMAN
Age: 43 Residence: Chandler
Family: Single dad of 2 sons Business: Shrimply the Best Main location: State Route 347 at Riggs Road
Other locations: Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, East Mesa, Casa Grande, Arizona City, Rio Verde (monthly) Selling on SR 347 since: 2012 (dad Dennis had sold there since 1997) Top sellers: Wild-caught shrimp from the Sea of Cortez, Caribbean lobster tails, East Coast scallops, Chilean mussels, wild sockeye salmon, American catfish SR 347 schedule: Wednesdays through Fridays, and every other Saturday (especially active during snowbird season) Approximate van mileage: 290,000 Fun fact: Shrimply the Best, though
Justin Eckelman sells shrimp just north of Maricopa June 14. That day, he raised shrimp prices after months of staving off economic stressors.
A HISTORY OF TARIFFS THROUGH A SHRIMP VAN
FEB. 1 A 25% tariff is imposed on
APRIL 2 A universal 10% tariff goes into effect on all imported goods, impacting virtually all of Justin Eckelman’s seafood inventory.
APRIL 9 Country-specific tariffs spike —145% on China and
JUNE 4 Steel and aluminum tariffs
nearly all goods from Mexico and Canada, then briefly paused and later reinstated. Shrimp from Mexico is affected.
double from 25% to 50%, projected to increase the cost
20% to 50% on goods from the
E.U., Vietnam and others. While the Bahamas isn’t specifically named, lobster export prices from that nation rise, likely due to general tariffs or market disruptions.
of refrigeration equipment and van repairs.
9 miles north of city limits, was voted Maricopa’s favorite food source by one-third of respondents in an InMaricopa.com poll.
ECONOMIC POLICY UNCERTAINTY
6 ,000
4 ,000
2 ,000
0
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
Source: “Measuring Economic Policy Uncertainty” by Scott Baker, Nicholas Bloom and Steven J. Davis
InMaricopa.com | July 2025
July 2025 | InMaricopa.com
18
19
Powered by FlippingBook