A hit by Trump tariffs, a rubber dent museum, walks out to Canada to stay over water: nPR

If you only had to choose one place to take over the relationship temperature between the USA and Canada, you should consider the rubber dent museum in Point Roberts.

The museum is located in a small US city, not on the US mainland. The only way to drive into the city that is at the end of a peninsula is to go through Canada. This unique location makes the city dependent on its northern neighbor with around 1,200 people, including customers who want to add their rubber collections.

Neil and Krystal King are the owners of the rubber duck museum and the gift shop. You have to see ducks from the Soviet era, the early Disney toys and a rubber that belongs to the sesame Street star Ernie. But a big draw – and what the museum keeps alive – are the 3,000 ducks for sale. Most are bizarre, with celebrities and historical figures as well as cartoon and holiday figures.

But the ducks no longer fly out of the shelves. Since President Trump tariff wars in countries, including Canada and China, started and started and started The existence of Canada will be the 51st stateFar fewer Canadian visitors are flocked to this outpost in the United States. After months of dark sales and now 145% tariffs for goods from China, the kings say that they pack the ducks together and move them across the border to Canada.

“We have turned many regular guests and loyal customers to us in this whole thing in the past few months, and they all say pretty much the same thing,” said Krystal. “You feel very offended about a lot of rhetoric that is coming out of the White House.”

Relations between the two countries in February, when President Trump, in a call to the then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, questioned the validity of the border contract between the USA and Canada. Trump also mentioned his aversion to the long -term water division agreements between the two countries, and the negotiations about several businesses since then was taken in a break.

President Trump said the tariffs are supposed to hire the countries that he says of using the United States, including Canada, and strengthen the nation's economic position.

Many Canadians see it differently.

“What he [Trump] It is wishful to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that makes it easier to annex us. ” Trudeau told the news media in March.

To Washington Ottawa replied in benefits in kind, 25% tariffs on Canada, replied in benefits in kind. Trudeau asked the Canadians to stay at home and spend their money in Germany. And that is exactly what many did.

“They don't like their sovereignty,” said Krystal. “You feel the only tool you have is the boycott in the USA and keeps this tourist design out there.”

It seems to work. In March, the number of cars after the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics decreased by almost 28% by almost 28% compared to the busy border crossing in Blaine. (The Canadians form the largest number of international visitors in the United States, and last year they generated expenses of 20.5 billion US dollars. According to the non -profit US Travel Association.) But it is also true that The Canadian dollar has fallen worth– Although it recently withdrawn some of its losses – which the USA made more expensive and less attractive.

“I would say it is a fairly effective tool,” said Krystal and referred to the boycott. Usually the streets of the small town full of Canadians who love to cross the border for cheaper food and gasoline. Nowadays the shops and restaurants are almost empty.

“Every conversation that we had was very politely in a real Canadian way,” she said. “Very excuse that it will influence us personally. But yes, you feel very strong in relation to this problem.”

There are other factors at work. Almost all ducks that the kings sell in their gift shop are made in China, so that they are subject to 145% tariffs that President Trump has provided in China and went into force last month.

There is a limit for how much someone will pay for a rubber duck, the business owners said.

“We have to keep our prices artificially low due to the Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar,” said Krystal. “So our customers have already affected an endangered purchasing power.”

The Kings, who opened the museum almost a year ago, said they simply cannot afford to keep the rubber dent museum open in Point Roberts. But they don't want to close their doors either. “It's so unique, so funny,” said Neil. “The people who just laugh and laugh … and we just don't want to lose it.”

This summer you plan to move the museum collection and shop directly across the border to Canada and open it again. You don't have to pay the 145% tariffs for the ducks from China. And you won't be the moods of international diplomacy or in the shortage of it. You will continue to live in points in Robert, the place you call at home and where you raise your 3-year-old daughter.

Even if President Trump suddenly dropped her tariffs, the kings said that they would still bring their small museum to Canada.

“It is only the instability of, you know, wake up every day and go 'is a tariff day today or not?' “Neil said. “It is simply not a sustainable business model for a small company, let alone a small company that relies on Canadian tourism.”

“It is not the step we wanted to take honest,” added Krystal. “We love ourselves to have our picturesque small shop. It means so much … but it is no choice between moving the ducks to Canada or holding here. It is a choice between moving to Canada or closing.”