Businesses just over the U.S. border in Whatcom County say the loss of Canadian shoppers continues to hit them hard.
“There’s been a little bit of ups and downs, but right now we’re actually at a little bit more than 20 per cent of a loss of business,” Echo Mae, owner of the Northwest Yarns in Bellingham, told Global News.
“And yeah, that’s directly attributable to Canadians not coming down here.”
The loss of business has meant difficult decisions, including cutting staff hours and shifting away from luxury products.
“A lasting impact, and if this continues, would be that we’d have to shut down the business, and we desperately don’t want to do that,” Mae said.
The drop in business is not unique to Northwest Yarns.
A new report from Western Washington University estimates Whatcom County lost around U.S. $64 million in Canadian spending between 2024 and 2025.
In early 2025, the Donald Trump administration began levying steep trade tariffs against Canada and made threats of taking over the nation — prompting a backlash that included scaling back cross-border travel and spending on American goods.
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“The main takeaway from some of our research has been that Canadians who are still crossing the border are doing so less for economic reasons like shopping and purchasing gas, and more to visit family or friends or to recreate,” said Laurie Trautman, the director of the Border Policy Research Institute at the university.
The report shows Canadian shopping visits have dropped 71 per cent compared to 2019 — largely driven by the strained political and economic climate between the two countries and a weak Canadian dollar.
“Business were no longer treating this lack of Canadian visitors as a temporary situation that they sort of had to wait out,” Trautman said.
“They see this as a more medium to potentially longer-term scenario.”
While the loss of Canadian shoppers is significant, the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce says the relationship between Canada and the U.S. goes far beyond retail.
“We’re here and ready to welcome all of you back when you’re ready to be back,” president and CEO Guy Occhiogrosso said.
Mae said that the familiar Canadian shoppers can’t come back soon enough.
“Oh gosh, we miss them so much,” she said. “We miss all of you so much.”
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