Some businesses in Plattsburgh, New York, are concerned as they face a decline in Canadian shoppers.
Known as “the American suburb of Montreal,” the area heavily relies on cross-border customers, but recent changes in the relationship between Canada and the U.S. are starting to take a toll on some businesses.
“Definitely the local people are here to show up for us, but we need other people to be coming through and that’s what keeps us going in so many ways,” said Kt Teaney, owner of Old Soul Design Shop Inc.
Plattsburgh, located about an hour south of Montreal, depends on Canadian visitors for business. With tariffs and calls for boycotting American-made products, many local merchants are feeling the pressure.
“As somebody that has to worry about every dollar down to the last one, it’s very concerning to think that any type of foot traffic is going to be leaving,” said Teaney.
Carolyn Tetreault, another business owner, echoed similar concerns.
“It’s funny because I want to catch all the people and be like, ‘It’s not us ... we’re not approving of what is happening.’ We’re crying about it. We’re scared, we don’t understand it,” said Tetreault, owner of A Beautiful Mess.
Recent data from Statistics Canada shows a 23 per cent drop last month in Canadians driving back from the U.S, compared to the same time last year.
U.S. figures show Canadians entering the States at the Champlain border crossing dropped by 16 per cent in February.
That’s according to Garry Douglas, president and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. He expects the downward trend to continue.
“We’re not hearing as much French as we’re used to hearing.”
He says Canadians spend about $500 million US in the region each year.
“We’re going to have some, some economic turbulence, certainly in Quebec and certainly here in the Plattsburgh area as well. But we can’t let that, at the end of the day, affect our relationship,” he said.
The town supervisor, Michael Cashman agrees.
“I’m spending an incredible amount of time, reaching out to my colleagues in the North, making sure at the local level that we continue to keep our relationship strong while the federal government of the United States, finds their way through this nonsense.”
