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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 A U G U S T 2 4 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S 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 "It's a significant downturn of eco- nomic activity," Clark says. Truck traffic is largely steady. In March, 7,786 trucks crossed into Houlton; 7,306 crossed in May. "So freight is moving pretty freely," Clark says. Grocery and retail stores are feeling the impact, says Jon McLaughlin, execu- tive director of the Southern Aroostook Development Corp. in Houlton. Canadian traffic is "very important, not just for Houlton but also for all the border towns in Aroostook County," says McLaughlin. "A lot of Canadians come for gas. ey buy a lot from the grocery stores and retail operations." Houlton is also an important hub for tourists, including Canadians heading to southern Maine and beyond, and out-of-state U.S. residents heading to northern Maine's recreation areas or to Canada. Maine Tourism Association's visitor information center in Houlton sees as many as 200 visitors per day dur- ing a typical summer, says the center's manager, Cathy Hogan. It's an even split between Canadians and Americans. Many of the Canadians are heading to Maine to shop — some to Bangor and others to Kittery or Freeport. In the winter, many Canadians stop on their way to Florida. is summer, the visitor center is see- ing fewer than 50 customers and most are Mainers, says Hogan. Still doing business "It's slower but I'm still doing busi- ness," says Sally Nickel, co-owner of My Brother's Place Campground in Houlton. Elsewhere in Houlton, Andy's IGA Foodliner has seen a 15% decrease in business, says owner Andrew Marin. "at's substantial," he says, add- ing that an increase in online shopping, which he implemented a couple of years ago, has helped make up for losses. "We've certainly noticed an impact from the lack of commut- ing and border traffic, whether it's going into Canada or Canadian citizens coming across," says Carter Vaillancourt, chief operating officer for Daigle Oil Co., which owns gas stations. "Most of our stations are pretty close to the border and there are a few, including Houlton, that have been more impacted than oth- ers" by border restrictions. Daigle has experienced both revenue and volume losses. "We don't have specific percentages," he says. "But a large part of that we attri- bute to the lack of traffic traveling back and forth across the border." Canadians made up about a tenth of the clientele of a downtown Houlton tearoom called Treasures of the Heart, which opened last September. "ere's a good contingent we haven't seen," says owner Melissa Nataluk. "ere was one lady I thought lived locally, who was one of our best supporters." Nataluk sent the customer a Facebook message and discovered she lives in Woodstock. "I said, 'Why haven't I seen you? Are you okay?' She said, 'I'm fine. I just can't cross the border.'" Despite border restrictions and other pandemic-related concerns, Houlton businesses are generally holding on, says McLaughlin, of Southern Aroostook Development Corp. "It's not our death knell by any means, but it's a loss," he says. Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz Hardworking YOUR TEAM IS HARDWORKING, YOU NEED OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT WORK JUST AS HARD. Seven clinic locations in Maine and a range of customizable services provide individual attention and team success. workhealthllc.org 1.844.WRKHLTH(1.844.975.4584) Presque Isle | Bangor | Ellsworth | Pittsfield | Waterville | Portland Occupational Health - Now in Ellsworth! P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y T R E A S U R E S O F T H E H E A R T T E A RO O M It's a significant downturn of economic activity. — Robert Clark Northern Maine Development Commission Melissa Nataluk, with husband Frank, has had a drop in Canadian customers at Treasures of the Heart.

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