Not the Mexican one; the one at nearby Canada.

Bill and Anji Cozart own Art of Appreciation Gift Baskets in Arlington. They talked with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen of Arlington recently about all of the delays and taxes when crossing the Canadian border.

“It’s easier getting into Malaysia,” Anji said, mustering a smile.

Bill said they do “a little exporting, but we’d like to do a lot more,” even to Mexico.

The Cozarts sell 90 percent of their baskets via Amazon online. But timeliness is so important in their business because people want the baskets by the holiday or the birthday. Delays are costly, as are tariffs, which can drive up the costs of the baskets.

Even though the company has been in business since 2001, the Cozarts had never heard of the Foreign Commercial Service.

“They can help open up doors to some new markets,” Larsen said.

He travels west from Washington, D.C., about once a month or so to visit constituents. He almost always visits a few businesses to see if he can help.

Larsen said most people think of Boeing and aerospace when it comes to trade in the Northwest.

“I want to broaden that picture and help the rest of the folks I represent,” he said.

Anji responded: “We need help, the little companies. We want to grow bigger.”

Along with the border, dealing with ports can be a struggle, she said. She called it “extortion” when a recent shipment at Easter was held up, and she was told for an extra $2,000 it could be sent through. She said that kind of situation could devastate some companies, as their products arrive months after the holiday.

“It’s my job to push folks to talk,” Larsen said, regarding that port issues.

Art of Appreciation makes hundreds of different baskets with different themes and items, including: candy, meat and cheese, flowers, holidays, coffees, jams, sports and so much more. Their 40,000-square-foot warehouse is filled with boxes full of baskets, and staff can make 48 big ones or 96 small ones each on a given day. In the fall leading up to Christmas they are busiest, with 30 workers. Baskets sell from $20 to $200 or more, depending on what the customer wants.

“Sweets are my weakness,” Bill said. “I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

The Cozarts would like to sell wine baskets, but that would mean even more regulations to deal with.

“Some of the best wine in the world comes from Washington,” Bill said.

Many of the suppliers for Art of Appreciation are local, but China also supplies a lot of the ingredients for the baskets. Anji designs many of them.

“She’s very creative, almost savant like,” her husband said.

The business started in their house after Anji started painting walls over and over, and Bill said, “We have to start a business for you.”

The operation took off, and in 2007 Bill quit his job at the Seattle Times to become president.

Regarding Canada, Bill said items can get stuck in customs so it’s hard to get gift baskets to their destinations on time. With Canada’s mail system, “There’s no tracking system to see if it gets there, so you can’t specify a day.” If they end up using Federal Express then it costs more.

Larsen said he knows of a business that set up a satellite office in Sumas to help ease the process. The lawmaker also said they might want to look into trucking their product north. He said he knows a timber company that might be willing to help.