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V O L . X X V I N O. X X A U G U S T 2 4 , 2 0 2 0 12 G R E A T E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E S even years ago, Mike Folsom started Shiretown Packaging and Receiving in Houlton to serve Canadians. Folsom receives goods ordered by Canadians from American websites. Located just over a mile from the U.S.-Canada border, in a typical sum- mer he sees five or six Canadian cus- tomers per day picking up their goods. For Canadians, the short drive means they can bypass certain Canadian taxes and fees on online orders that are higher than what they pay Folsom for warehousing. Since border restrictions were imple- mented on March 18, all of that busi- ness evaporated. Folsom has so far lost as much as $25,000. His warehouse is packed with goods biding time. "It has almost ruined my business," he says. "I deal with Canadians. My business is all Canadians. I have no Canadians." Pandemic-related border restric- tions between the U.S. and Canada eliminated non-essential travel between the two countries. In Houlton, Maine's largest border port, the difference is noticeable. "We miss our Canadian friends," says Jane Torres, who is president of down- town Houlton's County Co-Op and Farm Store, as well as executive director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce. "ey make up about a third of our business. ere are certain things we've ordered for years for them, and they're not there to buy it." Just 15 minutes away e port of entry in Houlton is at the end of I-95 and the start of the Canadian highway system. Its traffic volume ranks in the top 25% of all crossings between the two countries, according to ezbor- dercrossing.com. Border restrictions were originally scheduled to end July 21, but were extended to at least Aug. 21 and are likely to be extended into the fall. F O C U S P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y N O R T H E R N M A I N E M E D I A / W H O U 1 0 0 . 1 F M Mike Folsom started Shiretown Packaging and Receiving in Houlton to serve Canadians. Business evaporated with border restrictions on non-essential travel. Jane Torres, president of downtown Houlton's County Co- Op and Farm Store and executive director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, says border restrictions have been tough socially and economically. The co-op wasn't aware of how much Canadian trade it had until it was gone, she says. Local stimulus Early in the pandemic, the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, Southern Aroostook Development Corp. and town of Houlton created the Houlton Stimulus Package to help struggling businesses. In under two weeks, the project raised $54,000 in private donations as a match to gift certificates bought by customers from local businesses. Customers took part in a drive-through and phone-in event on April 30 to buy certificates. The match was spoken for in less than an hour, creating an overall benefit of $108,000. Cars lined up for over a mile for the community-led Houlton Stimulus Package, which was fully subscribed in under an hour. U.S.-Canada travel restrictions sink trade in border town HOULTON B y L a u r i e S c h r e i B e r HOLDS ON

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