This Border Town Was on the Rise. Then the Pandemic Hit.

In large part, the resurgence was fueled by Amazon. Canadians could save money on shipping and taxes by sending their orders to stores in the United States and picking them up later. Today, Blaine has dozens of businesses handling packages from online commerce. Other businesses followed — including the Starbucks next to Mr. Hill’s gas station, which opened in 2018, and a hemp clothing store called Rawganique. A grocery store was set to move in soon.

“We all felt like Blaine was finally going to hit its time,” said Mark Seymour, who works with his father, Steve Seymour, at their oyster farm and restaurant. “And then this happened.”

“Gas and packages have been the backbone of our economy,” Mr. Ebert, the Chamber of Commerce president, said. “You come around the holidays, these package places, by the time they’re open, they’ve got about 20, 25 in line.”

At Mail Boxes International, employees say that it feels like Christmas — only without the joy. Yet-to-be-claimed boxes are piled waist-high in the lobby. The top shelves of the storeroom, normally bare, are stacked tall enough to reach the rafters.

When the border first closed, many Canadians figured it would reopen soon, and they kept ordering online goods, the owner, Brant Baron, said. He put a second storage container in the parking lot to handle the overflow. But then the border reopening got pushed back again, and then again, and Canadians stopped ordering as much. Looking at all the boxes, you would not know that business is down 75 percent.