It’s lunchtime on a Wednesday in February and the shops of downtown Squamish are quiet.
Some are buzzing with more energy than others, but for around half of the businesses on Cleveland Avenue, customers are far and few in between.
But with the “shop Canadian made” movement—launched after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to potentially impose 25% tariffs on exported Canadian goods and 10% on Canadian energy resources—growing stronger by the day, many shop owners are hoping residents can swap their online shopping to support local instead.
Wild and Heart
For Wild and Heart boutique owner Candice Kane, the lack of local support has been a difficult pill to swallow.
“I find outside of a small little group of locals, it's just tourists [shopping downtown] and I don't get it,” Kane told The Squamish Chief.
“I've had people come in here and say, 'I've lived here 20 years, I've never been in your store.' I don't know where they're shopping or what they're doing [but it’s not downtown].”
With over 23 Canadian brands in store, ranging from skincare, jewelry, clothing and more, Kane is urging Squamish shoppers to check out other businesses downtown before opting to shop online.
The previous Thursday, Kane said not one person came into her store, a disheartening feeling she believes other shop owners can sympathize with.
“I had nobody, like zero sales … You have to be doing at least probably $500 a day to kind of make it,” she said.
“There's money here, you can see the cars, I stand at the window and there's BMWs and Teslas everywhere so I don't really buy that argument [that people can't afford to shop here].
“So how can we work together to get the word out to the tourists or to the local people. Because [if it keeps going this way] we won't all be here. And is that what Squamish wants?”
Kane said the ripple effect of failing to support local businesses extends further than just one store.
“If we're gone, all these people that we support [with small businesses] they're gone,” she said, noting many of her products are made by Squamish entrepreneurs.
“I know that tourists are going to come when the summer comes back, but I think just the local people coming in, supporting all of us downtown, that's the thing. They're non-existent for the most part.”
Be Clean Naturally
Another local store boasting a huge range of Canadian and Squamish-made products is Be Clean Naturally, owned by Kirstin French.
While some may be frustrated by the potential tariff taxes, French believes the movement will have a positive effect on Canadian brands.
“We have had a number of opportunities to see how important it is to shop local, and we haven't really taken them seriously enough,” French told The Squamish Chief.
“So I think that this political situation that we have right now is a fantastic opportunity for us to realize the importance of supporting our own economy.”
Be Clean Naturally stocks a variety of house-made soaps, alongside a number of environmentally friendly products made by local artisans across B.C. and Canada.
“Before we moved into the space, I sold the Be Clean Naturally products at the farmer’s market for four years. So, I made a lot of connections with other people that sold at the farmer’s market and still sell their products here now, 10 years later,” French said.
Throughout the store, shoppers can find pottery, honey, skincare, mushroom products, essential oils and more, all of which are Canadian-made.
While 2025 is looking more promising for French, the previous year proved to be a tougher one financially.
“We had a tough 2024, the first five months was, of all the years that I've been in business, the hardest,” she said.
“I think after the small business loans had to be paid back for COVID, my understanding from talking to other people was that there was a massive amount of businesses that were not prepared to pay that money back, and so they took out loans at much higher interest rates than when they borrowed the money.
“And so it just hit our economy hard when that deadline came. Normally, our tourist season here starts to pick up, like April, May, and that didn't happen until August, and we didn't get back to normal numbers until October.”
French hopes that whether or not the tariffs are imposed upon Canada, consumers will take the opportunity to support Canadian and Squamish-made products.
“I do think that a large part of the onus is on the consumers to make choices that support rather than undermine our economy,” she said.
“This is a difficulty that we're going to learn something great from in the longer run, we just have to be a little patient in the meantime with people that are really frustrated and want to blame someone else for forcing this on us.”
Empire of Dirt
For Laura Bradley, the past 10 years at her store Empire of Dirt on Cleveland Ave. has brought many ups and downs, but one thing that has held strong is her desire to support local.
“I've been here nine years, and it's all local artists and jewelry, art, you name it and my store is specifically for local artists,” Bradley said.
Much like others on the strip, Bradley has noticed fewer locals opting to spend in stores and instead swaying towards online websites.
“I think coming downtown is a little bit difficult. I don't think people have extra money these days to be buying all the wants and plus Amazon, it's right there delivered to your door and it's cheap,” she said.
“It's so hard I find with people spending a little extra money on local artists, rather than Amazon and whatnot.
“You know, it might cost you a little bit extra, but it's going into the pockets of hundreds of people in town, families. We always donate to the sports and dance clubs, but Amazon doesn't do that for the local people.”
Since news of the potential tariff taxes though, Bradley has seen a slight uptick in sales.
“I have actually found in the last couple of weeks that there are people who are supporting local artists, I have noticed a bit of an uptick,” she said.
Scandinavia Wolf
Kristy Turney has been selling jewelry in Squamish for almost nine years and almost all of her stock is made in-house.
“Pretty much everything in here is Canadian, so we're lucky that way, because we make the majority of ourselves in-house, and most of our suppliers are also Canadian,” she said.
While other businesses have felt a drop in customers, Turney, who relocated Scandinavia Wolf to downtown Squamish just over a year ago has felt an uptick in sales.
“We've seen a lot more traffic, because we came from somewhere that was a bit more hidden so it's kind of different for us than people that have been on this street for a long time,” she said.
“It was a really good Christmas season, and I think a lot of it had to do with people just wanting to shop local, but also because of the strike that was happening with the postal service so most people had to kind of stop buying online and then shop local.”
However, she did note that this past month has seen quieter foot traffic.
Echoing the sentiment from fellow shop owners, Turney said the benefit of shopping local and Canadian-made ensures that funds trickle throughout the community.
“If you're shopping local, you're spending money at our store, so then I'm going to spend money at your store because I have money to spend. It brings the community together,” she said.
Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association
Kerry Neil, executive director of the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, believes the “shop Canadian made” movement will have a positive effect on downtown Squamish.
“Many of our downtown businesses have long been dedicated to providing products that reflect quality and craftsmanship with many businesses choosing to focus on Canadian-made or locally crafted products,” Neil said.
“The shift towards selling Canadian-made goods will be great for our community and is also a response to consumer demand for products that are made responsibly.
“This puts our businesses in an advantageous position attracting conscious consumers who care about where their products come from.”
Neil agrees that downtown Squamish has seen a drop in customer rates over the past year and hopes locals will listen to the calls from local business owners to support them where they can.
“It’s true that foot traffic has been slower, which I believe is a reflection of broader trends we’ve seen across many communities and is due to economic factors and changing consumer habits,” she said.
“People are shopping more online, and there are also shifts in how people choose to spend their limited time and money. However, when consumers are encouraged to support local businesses and buy Canadian, it creates a sense of connection between the products they purchase and the community they are part of.
“This connection is something that big-box retailers or online shopping can’t provide. Supporting Canadian-made products, especially from Squamish businesses, is crucial because it directly benefits our local economy.”
While shopping Canadian made has become a priority for many, Neil is also reminding folks to support businesses who may have already purchased stock from America.
"While I am a strong advocate for supporting local and buying Canadian-made products, it's important to remember that many businesses have already purchased stock from the U.S. that is now on hand,” she said.
“I encourage consumers to be mindful of this when making purchasing decisions. Avoiding these products simply because they are imported could have unintended consequences, potentially harming the very businesses we aim to support.
“The reality is that these businesses have already invested in their inventory, and purchasing what they currently have in stock is just as vital to their success.”
Is it Canadian made?
According to the federal Competition Bureau, to be labelled a “Product of Canada,” at least 98% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the product being sold has to have been incurred in Canada.
To have the “Made in Canada” label, (a) the last substantial transformation of the good has to have occurred in Canada; (b) at least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the good have to have been incurred in Canada; and (c) the item has to have a qualifier, such as “60% Canadian content and 40% imported content.”
For more information on local businesses visit the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association website.
