“Let’s deal with affordability,” said Brown. “There are more monies going out than coming in, in people’s markets. And if we’re not going to deal with that, we’re in a position where the country’s going to get poorer.”
Brown, who is running for Republican Sen. Jon Husted’s seat, made a Dayton stop on his campaign trail to meet with business owners at the 6888 Kitchen Incubator, a nonprofit kitchen space located in the Arcade building.
Side Piece Soul Cafe owner Bri Parks said the fluctuating cost of meat, cheese, eggs and other ingredients she needs to run her business is a weekly headache. Orders of chicken wings can range from $75 to $120 a case. And at the height of egg prices in 2025, meals that required eggs were taken off the menu.
Parks said she feels the impact of the cost of living in the Dayton area in ways that go beyond budgeting her business. Local households that are tightening their belts are less likely to go out to eat or order in.
“It all affects the business,” Parks said of living costs. “So it’s been like a trickle-down effect where it’s like, are they gonna come today? I’ve experienced a day where I can open my front door and make $2,000, but I’ve also experienced a day when I’ve made $13.”
Brown said he’s hearing the same story from other restaurateurs.
“It’s important because there are a few small businesses that are as integrated in the community as restaurants,” Brown said. “But for every one of these businesses, insurance and increasing costs and affordability are always the issue.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Brown said the Trump administration’s tariff plan is not just hurting small businesses, manufacturers and consumers — tariffs are also undermining farmers’ ability to make a living, he said.
American soybean farmers last year sold $12 billion worth of soybeans in China. In 2025, they sold “zero because of tariffs,” according to Brown.
“Farmers don’t know how to plant this spring because they don’t know what tariff policy is going to be. And that’s insanely stupid,” Brown said. “Farmers think about planting, they think about price, they think about weather. They shouldn’t have to think about tariffs because they want to sell their products fairly, legally, on an open market.”
When asked by this news outlet about Brown’s comments about affordability, Sen. Husted said his record shows support for Ohio consumers and businesses. Husted was formerly the lieutenant governor of Ohio under the DeWine administration.
“I voted for the Working Families Tax Cuts, which allows farmers and job creators to immediately expense investments in new factories, capital investments in machinery and equipment, and in research and development — all of which Democrats opposed,” Husted shared in a statement with this news outlet.
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