The Canadian border is open, but packages are still stacked up in Blaine
There wasn’t a deluge of Canadian visitors on the first day of border restrictions being lifted, but Blaine business owners and government officials are happy to start welcoming them back.
Downtown Blaine was quiet on Monday afternoon, Nov. 8, hours after the U.S. government eased restrictions on nonessential travelers coming across the border. While Monday wasn’t typically a busy day before the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of Canadian visitors on the first day of reopening could be confirmation that it may take a while to see a recovery in cross-border traffic for a community that is highly dependent on those visitors.
At Mail Boxes International, the low number of Canadians coming to pick up their packages on the first day was disappointing, but not altogether surprising for owner Brant Baron. By 2 p.m., Baron had only seen around 10 Canadian customers. Given that his business has packages that have been piling up since the restrictions for non-essential travels went into effect in March 2020, he had hoped to see more people coming in to pick them up.
“A few customers is better than none, but I thought it would have been busier,” Baron told U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu and Blaine Mayor Bonnie Onyon. All three were touring Blaine businesses on Monday to learn about business owners’ concerns about the border reopening.
One chief concern expressed by the business owners to DelBene on the tour was about the procedures Canadians have to deal with while traveling along the border. Canadians need to show proof of being vaccinated to cross into the U.S., but on the way back into Canada they need to show proof they have also tested negative for the virus in a 72-hour window.
“I think there will be a wait-and-see attitude at first,” said Joni Finston, who co-owns a wine tasting and bistro called The Vault in downtown Blaine with Alan Finston. “It is still very tricky right now.”
The Vault, which opened in 2017, came at a time when Blaine appeared to be going through a bit of a renaissance as several new restaurants and businesses were arriving in the downtown district. The pandemic derailed that trend, but Joni and Alan Finston believe Blaine can restart that trend once again.
“It’s been a long haul, but we’re making it,” Joni Finston said, adding that adding the bistro component as well as music events have helped.
DelBene responded to questions about the border, particularly about the negative test requirement, by saying they are pushing Canadian officials in hopes of making the return trip easier.
Baron is hoping that happens soon. During the pandemic, he had to lease an extra 4,800 square feet of storage space for the packages, many of which are from eBay and Amazon. About 95% of his customers are Canadian and not only is he hoping to get through the backlog, but he also needs to prepare for the holiday shopping season, which is the company’s busiest time of year in terms of handling packages.
“If we can start getting some of these packages out the door, it would really help,” Baron said.
Making it easier for Canadians to travel across the border is important to Blaine’s business community because of the big hit to overall retail sales during the pandemic. Residents have helped by shopping locally during the pandemic, helping businesses such as the Living Pantry survive, said Shawna Morris, who opened the store with Seppi Morris in September 2020.
Heading into the holidays, Shawna Morris said they are ramping up inventory with local gift ideas. As a refillery store that also recently opened in Bellingham, the store focuses on nurturing a healthier environment by cutting down on needless packaging. They aren’t expecting a big influx of Canadian customers this season, but any extra sales they can get despite the testing rules will help.
“It was the local customers that helped us make it without the Canadian border,” Shawna Morris said.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
