SAN FRANCISCO — Victor Perez has owned Twin Brothers Auto Glass in San Francisco’s Mission District for nearly 20 years.
“All these cartons are glad. All this is glass. Over there and there, glass,” said Perez.
For the longest time, glass repair was the bulk of his business, fixing customers’ windows that had been shattered during break-ins.
“Used to be in one day we’d see 8 to 10 windows,” he said.
But in the last year, Perez said that he’s seen a shift; fewer people are coming in with shattered windows.
“Maybe like 40% down,” he said.
Last month, San Francisco police announced the number of reported car break-ins in the city had dropped to their lowest levels in two decades.
Perez said, of course, that is good news, but it also means he’s had to pivot his business to bring in revenue in other ways.
He is now mostly doing window tinting and speaker upgrades. But he’s worried even that business could dry up, not because of anything to do with local public safety, but because of the tariffs implemented by the Trump administration.
“You know the prices for all of this is going to be up,” Perez said.
Perez noted that he’s expecting prices for parts and other materials to go up by at least 30%.
In addition to that, he’s worried customers will just stop coming in because they won’t have as much disposable income.
“They don’t want to spend money right now. They don’t have enough to spend money,” Perez said.
This combination of glass repairs being down and tariffs up has Perez bracing for what he thinks could be his worst year of business on record.
It’s something he’s not at all excited to experience, but it is something he saud he believes he’ll still be able to buckle down and get through.
“I hope it’s going to be OK, you know? I don’t know when, but it’s going to be OK,” Perez said.
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