Point Roberts business closing after 24 years as trade war decimates customer base
A Point Roberts shop is closing permanently after over 24 years of business, as the owner blames recent actions by the Trump administration for her loss of revenue and decision to close.
Beth Calder owns Point To Point Parcel, an independent package shipping and receiving business that provides shipping addresses for Canadians, allowing them to shop online and pick up in store, avoiding certain tariffs and extra shipping costs.
“We have never fully recovered from COVID, and unfortunately we were constantly struggling to find employees and because we did not own the property we were not allowed to offer 24/7 locker pickup service, which would have really helped us,” Calder wrote in an email to The Herald.
The shop is closing permanently on Saturday, April 19, which will be the last day shipments can be picked up.
“With the new presidency and all the comments our president made about Canada and Canadian citizens, a great part of our active client base were very upset and very vocal that they would not be back for four years. By the first week of March we had lost 75 percent of our incoming shipments daily,” Calder said.
“We hope and wish that this hard choice will strengthen another business, if not multiple businesses in Point Roberts, to keep their doors open and see them grow. I am fifth generation in my family here in Point Roberts, so it means a lot to me to help support our small town and do my part to help the remaining businesses,” Calder said.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data, 194,912 travelers entered Point Roberts from Canada between January and March. In 2024, 214,187 travelers entered Point Roberts from Canada — a difference of nearly 20,000 travelers year to year for the three-month period.
This year, the number of travelers from Canada to Point Roberts has fluctuated, as the number of travelers decreased from January to February, but increased last month.
Here’s how many travelers entered the U.S. through Point Roberts recently:
▪ January 2025: 73,104 travelers
▪ February 2025: 58,577 travelers
▪ March 2025: 63,231 travelers
In 2024, the amount of travelers entering through Point Roberts also fluctuated:
▪ January 2024: 62,774
▪ February 2024: 67,286
▪ March 2024: 84,157
Point to Point Parcel is at 1591 McKenzie Way.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
