A northeast Calgary fitness business is facing bankruptcy later this month after U.S. tariffs have driven away its customer base. StrongArm Sport, which primarily sells to people setting up home gyms, imports the majority of its barbells, weights, benches and other equipment from China, a country hit hard by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. But since China has been struck by tariffs, store owner Mike Armstrong says his business is on the “verge of bankruptcy” and faces an eviction notice on his Skyline East location on Aug. 21. “Any tariffs that are applicable to Chinese goods have to be paid and we can’t afford to pay them,” Armstrong said. “Our prices are low enough that we can’t afford to add the tariffs on top of them.” Before Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April 2025, StrongArm Sport’s sales from the U.S made up 50 per cent of their business. A U.S. customer could purchase the cheapest set of weights for $599, but now that same product could cost over $1,000 with tariffs. “We’ve probably lost 45 per cent or more of our sales,” he said. “They’re just looking elsewhere.” The store has issued over $50,000 in rebates since December. It doesn’t have money coming into order new stock so it can deliver for those orders. For Armstrong, the other difficulty of running a business subject to tariffs is the frequent change in tariff rates. He says U.S. import brokers say the levy is currently 42 per cent. “It’s been 10 per cent, it’s been 20 per cent, it’s been 50 per cent. I’ve had some of my customers tell me that they’ve received bills for more than 100 per cent of the value of the goods,” Armstrong said. The business, which opened in 2014, is looking for a new location ahead of it’s Aug. 21 eviction day.
