Local restaurateur and lifelong resident Nick Pitillo said business was better during the Columbus Day weekend, especially compared to the dark days of 2020, but was still about 15 percent closed.
“We had a great week, but you could definitely feel his absence,” he said, adding that Ellicottville had also seen several Canadians selling their properties during the pandemic. “We look forward to welcoming everyone back.”
Canadians have long preferred to shop in the United States than they saved federal sales tax imposed by the Government of Canada. And on Wednesday, retailers across New York seemed thrilled that such buyers could soon be back across the border. So did many tribal casino leaders in western New York and the northern country, including the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, where gaming was severely affected by a shortage of Canadian gamblers.
At the Walden Galleria, a sprawling mall east of Buffalo, just off the New York Thruway, officials said the retailer was already “Welcome Back Canadian!” were planning. sales.
The CEO of the mall’s parent company, Pyramid Management Group, Stephen J. “Our Canadian customers have always represented a significant part of our business,” Kangel said. “That’s why we’re excited to welcome our lovely northern neighbors back to the country.”
On Lake Champlain, meanwhile, Norman Lagg, owner of Lakeside Coffee in Rouse Point, N.Y., which sits on the border, said if there was a silver lining to the 19-month shutdown, it would have given him and other business owners Was. Force to develop deeper relationships with their own communities.
“We think we are strong,” said Mr Lag, a former Border Patrol agent.
That said, he also said that he was looking forward to seeing more Canadian yachts and cars outside his lakeside cafe.
“It would be nice to see some faces we haven’t seen before,” he said.