Canadian apparel-maker says the trade war is strengthening his relationships with Europe instead of the US

• President Donald Trump's trade war is having an effect on small businesses outside the US too.
• Paul Long, founder of Canadian apparel brand Anian, says the uncertainty is steering him closer to the EU.
• The US is massive, Long told BI, but there are other countries willing to work with each other.

Imports to the US may be plummeting, but other countries aren't sitting still while they look to see what President Donald Trump will do next in his trade war.

In Canada, one apparel manufacturer tells Business Insider that the dispute is leading his company toward stronger ties with Europe and the UK, where no new trade barriers have been introduced.

"The United States is very self-focused," said Paul Long, founder of Vancouver-based Anian.

"A lot of the American public can forget that there are also other massive countries and massive economies out there that are just as happy to work with each other," he added.

Long said Anian has always sourced most of its raw materials from Europe to make its clothing in Canadian workshops. While most sales are within Canada, the company also ships to US customers, mostly in the Pacific Northwest.

With the ever-changing guidance from Washington, DC, Long said many of his US-bound shipments which were originally allowed under the de minimis exemption are now being frozen at the border for days without explanation.

The continuing uncertainty now has him shifting his expansion plans from the US to Europe.

"What this has done is it has made us take the gas pedal off our US expansion and start looking at our UK and EU expansion," he said.

Geographically, Long said Anian has already had to figure out the challenges of getting its products to customers across sprawling provinces, and that the US made the most sense as a nearby neighbor for trade.

But he said the tariffs spurred him to rethink the approach across the Atlantic: "If we can do this in Canada, Europe's a lot easier."

Still, Long says some loyal US customers have shown their support of his business through high-dollar orders and personalized notes.

"I think at the end of the day, Canada and the States have so much in common, culturally and economically," he said.