This article was first published by Cascadia Daily News.
POINT ROBERTS — In Lt. Gov. Denny Heck’s first-ever visit to Point Roberts last week, he expressed how heartbroken he was by the breakdown of relations between Americans and Canadians over the past six months.
The residents packed into a crowded room — nearly 50% of them dual citizens — to listen to the state’s second-highest official detail that breakdown, reflected in fewer border crossings and loss of dollars in border cities.
“I’ll tell you the truth, we’ve taken the Canadians for granted,” Heck said.
As businesses in Point Roberts struggle to attract customers, 13 miles to the south and two border crossings later, businesses in Blaine are starting to see signs of life. Creative marketing and reaching new customers may be part of the reason businesses are seeing sales finally starting to uptick, but others think relations are starting to thaw thanks to the warm weather.
Hours before Heck spoke in Point Roberts, downtown Blaine was lively with a jazz quintet playing during the lunch hour, a steady stream of cars with Washington and British Columbia plates zipping by.
Blaine business owners agree foot traffic and sales have been down for six months. But thanks to the Canada Day-Fourth of July holiday week, business spiked.
Don Enos, the vice president of the Blaine Chamber of Commerce, credits the rise to creative marketing. Rather than trying to attract Canadian customers, businesses are looking to the south — to Bellingham, Seattle and beyond.
Boycotts in reaction to 51st state rhetoricPrior to coming into office, President Donald Trump ridiculed Canada, going as far as recommending turning the nation into the “51st state.” He’s also sought to place tariffs on steel, aluminum and other products not covered in the U.S., Mexico, Canada trade agreement.
Last Thursday, thousands of miles away in Washington, D.C., Trump threatened 35% tariffs on Canadian imports, following weeks of trade negotiations.
Since late January, Canadians have boycotted the U.S. Canadian purchases of housing in the U.S. have plunged. Vacations have been canceled. Closer to home, southbound border crossings from B.C. into Washington have dropped significantly compared to this time last year.
In June, total vehicle traffic crossing at southbound ports of entry, such as Peace Arch and Pacific Highway, was down 31% compared to June 2024, according to the Cascade Gateway Border Data Warehouse. B.C. volume for the same time is down 43%.
Sarbie Bains, the owner of Blaine Bouquets, said she’s noticed foot traffic has been significantly down at her flower shop located on the main street of the downtown. But, her business hasn’t experienced a significant drop in sales.
“We’re fortunate enough that our business is tailored to our community within Whatcom County,” she said, noting customers from the surrounding area as well as tourists from California and Florida have been supporting her business.
“I think small towns need the support from the other way as well,” she said. “It’s nice to see that there’s people that actually listen, watch and care enough to come and support your small business.”
Down the block, at Border Crossing Pizza, owner Laura Massaro said business had been down for the last six months. In May and June, she was down a few thousand dollars.
“We’re not struggling, but it’s not like our typical summer,” she said, noting most of the restaurants in Blaine are seasonal. “We wait for the summer to get here because we know it’s going to be busy. So that was kind of scary, not knowing if this summer was going to pull us through for next winter.”
Sales didn’t pick up until the first week of July when a combination of visitors in Blaine for Canada Day and Fourth of July started to come in for slices and pies. On the Fourth of July, Massaro had her best day of sales ever since she opened 10 years ago.
Massaro said she hasn’t shifted her marketing much, instead choosing to post constantly on social media to get customers’ attention. She believes that the Canadians who have second homes in Birch Bay and Semiahmoo aren’t going to stay away forever.
“We welcome everybody here,” she said. “We are a border town, so there’s not a lot we can do except hope for the best.”
Enos said according to the latest data shared with him, City of Blaine sales tax revenue is down 6% compared to last year. But he expects revenue returns at the end of the year to finish near where last year’s returns were.
Enos encourages small-business owners to double down on their marketing and to do it better when times are tough.
“You have to be the person to prevent your company from losing money,” he said. “My experience in several small communities lately is: the doors are closed. The small-business owners are not showing up and they need to. They need to be the first one in the door.”
Creative thinking in Point Roberts
Point Roberts businesses have garnered local and national attention about the drop in sales. The community had just started to come back after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns when Trump’s rhetoric caused Canadians to boycott the U.S.
In a July 3 conversation with Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Point Roberts residents raised concerns about the exclave’s economy.
Point Roberts resident Stephen Sparrow believes creative thinking is needed to get more people into the exclave of just under 1,300 people.
That thinking includes hosting more events such as Strings and Things, the second-annual international folk music festival at the Point Roberts marina, and encouraging people to cross two borders to visit.
“You have to keep on bringing new things, you have to keep on doing advertising,” Sparrow said.
Heck also referenced what he called “creative, fertile thinking” Thursday night, including possibly making Point Roberts a FIFA Fan Zone as the soccer World Cup prepares to come through Vancouver and Seattle next summer. Bellingham has already been selected to host viewing parties.
“It would bring attention to Point Roberts I think in a way that most people would like,” he said, adding resources may be provided to help with organizing the potential events. “It might lead to efforts to thin the border.”
Sparrow asked Heck if Washington state could do anything to encourage Canadian tourists to visit Point Roberts.
Heck was blunt.
“I know that Governor Newsom in California spent a bunch of money to reattract Canadian tourists, and it didn’t work,” he said. “The answer to your question isn’t necessarily even about some programmatic response. I think this is about what it is that elected officials here and there have to do to stand up for this relationship.”
Overall, Heck and Enos, separated by hours and miles, agreed on one thing: border residents cannot expect things to go back to normal.
“Blaine is rethinking its identity to reembrace what it is that we’ve always been known for and trying to add a southern audience without taking away our visitors from the north,” Enos said. “Like I continue to tell people, we’ll be here when you’re ready to come back. We’re the same people we were yesterday and tomorrow.”
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