GRAND FORKS, B.C. - Look to the left while standing at the top of Market Avenue in Grand Forks, B.C., and a row of empty storefronts look back.

Look to the right, and every one of those storefronts are full.

The coincidental divide along Market Ave. speaks to the challenges confronting this small southern B.C. interior town.

Two major employers are being hit hard by the crisis facing the forestry industry, leaving residents to wonder whether Grand Forks' destiny is more empty stores or an economic evolution.

The once dominant B.C. industry has been battered by the protracted Canada-U.S. softwood lumber trade dispute -- now in an uneasy truce --  the ravages of the pine beetle, the crash of the U.S. housing market and the soaring Canadian dollar.

An industry used to cycles is facing an unprecedented level of change and people in Grand Forks are braced for it, some with pessimism, some with optimism.

The United Steelworkers Union, which represents B.C. forestry workers, estimates that since 2000 more than 20,000 jobs in the sector have been lost and almost 40 mills have closed.

In Grand Forks, an uncertain future lingers for the Pope and Talbot sawmill plants in the area as they dance along the edge of bankruptcy and the Canpar door-core plant is slated to close for good in December.

The federal and provincial governments have poured billions of dollars into trying to help the sector adjust but that hasn't helped Bill Ladd figure out if he's ordered too much stock for Christmas this year.

"Our town has weathered the ups and downs of the economy before,'' he said from behind the counter at his store, Landmark Books and Gifts.

"But this time, this is going to be different.''

Around 100 people work for Canpar and over 450 work for Pope and Talbot's three mills in the area.

Lost jobs aren't the only fallout from mill closures.

The industries pour cash into town coffers, contribute to local charities and support spin-off businesses that use their products.

The futures of Canpar and Pope and Talbot were linked -- the door core produced at Canpar relied on woodchips from the sawmills.

Those plants have been on periodic shutdowns as Pope and Talbot restructures, leaving Canpar without the raw goods it needed.

So in a town with a population of 4,035, that many people hanging on economic tenterhooks brings fear -- and sadness.

"The runoff from both mills shutting down is going to be hard on the town,'' said Tim, a 43-year-old man who did not want his last name used.

"People aren't going to be spending money, so that's going to hurt.

"But what's worse is guys like my buddy who have $300,000 mortgages. How's he supposed to pay that without leaving town?''

People are leaving.

Bob Smith, 73, who owns a new and used furniture store in Grand Forks, said his business has dropped about 20 per cent in the last month.

"In the last two weeks alone, I've had 10, 15 different families phoning wanting to sell me furniture,'' he said.

"Fathers are going to Fort McMurray (Alta.), and only get to see their families every six weeks. It is not a great way to live.''

But longtime barber Bob Pfeiffer says young people are flocking into town to stay.

"Young people are coming to the valley to stay here,'' he said. "They like everything.''

The hit from the Canpar closure likely won't be felt until the new year, Pfeiffer said, and only rumours swirl for now over what will happen to the Pope and Talbot operations.

The Portland, Ore., based-company filed for creditor protection at the end of October and has said it will use the time to continue restructuring, which may include selling some or all of its assets.

"For the time being, everybody's pretty optimistic,'' said Pfeiffer. "We'll weather the storm.''

Grand Forks has seen change before.

Mills and industries have come and gone. In the early 20th century, the town was a mining hub but the Phoenix mine is now a ski hill.

In 2002, the provincial government closed some offices and the courthouse in the city, taking away dozens of jobs.

The loss of industry, Pfeiffer said, is just the normal order of life.

"I can't get all doomy and gloomy about it,'' he said. "It's just one of those things that happens in business.''

But for teen Amanda Pepin, it is doom and gloom.

"There's no opportunity here, no options,'' the 16-year-old said adamantly. "This is going to be a ghost town soon.''

A cruel irony facing Grand Forks is that the same Alberta cash that's drawing young people away has also driven housing prices up 30 per cent in the last year as retirees flock to the serenity of the B.C. interior.

It's in part the retirees that will shape Grand Forks in the years to come, said Brian Taylor, vice-president of the chamber of commerce and the town's former mayor.

Where Pepin see ghost town, Taylor only sees opportunity.

More retirees mean more demand for health-care services, and a new 17-bed assisted-living facility recently opened in the area.

The town remains a transportation hub for the timber business, Taylor said, and big box stores are springing up to serve the entire region.

The silver lining to the Canpar shutdown will be cleaner air for citizens, he said. Canpar had been blamed in the past for the poor air quality ratings the town has received.

Another major employer in the town is Roxul, a rock wool insulation plant that's having excellent success in the market and may even purchase Canpar's facility for expansion.

As he looks out over the left hand side of Market Ave., from a bustling coffee shop across the way, Taylor doesn't even seem to see the "For Rent'' signs sitting crookedly in all the windows.

"This is a city in transition,'' Taylor said. ''People are optimistic about what will replace existing jobs.''