Fewer Minnesota small businesses close for second protest in as many weeks

The second planned mass closure of businesses in as many weeks to protest federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota gained more momentum nationally than in the Twin Cities on Jan. 30.

That’s because the state‘s storefronts turned out in the hundreds to protest Jan. 23, and many found it financially unfeasible to miss out on another Friday of revenue so soon. But support for the cause appeared in other ways beyond shuttering for one day.

Labor and faith leaders said they spent weeks planning the Jan. 23 protests. In contrast, Somali and Black-led student groups at the University of Minnesota quickly put together the Jan. 30 iteration after a federal agent shot and killed Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

The effort — which urged people across the country to refrain from work, school and shopping — garnered the attention of celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. All posted information about the strike on social media, as did national organizations like 50501, the group that organized the No Kings marches last year.

But in Minnesota, the second call came as many business owners were feeling fatigued by a nearly two-month deportation operation that has thrust businesses onto the front lines of a battle between the federal government and local communities.

Immigrant-owned and patronized businesses were the first to implement measures to protect vulnerable workers and customers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Many have struggled with labor shortages and plummeting sales since the Trump administration’s crackdown began in early December.

In recent weeks, as the federal operation intensified, the impacts to businesses have been more widespread. For Volstead’s Emporium, a speakeasy-style bar in Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood, closing for a second consecutive Friday was financially unfeasible, owner Bessie Snow said.

Snow hoped activists would give some grace to businesses staying open this Friday.

“I want to be able to help the community,” she said, “but we can’t if we’re not here.”

All week, state and local leaders have sounded alarms about the challenges facing small businesses, especially those in the retail and hospitality industries.

Last week’s shutdown was meant to demonstrate solidarity with immigrant workers, customers and neighbors who have been the target of federal agents. Dozens of owners across the state closed again in a similar show of support Jan. 30.

In Minneapolis’ Linden Hills neighborhood, Wild Rumpus Books did not accept sales but remained open for donations and story times for children. Co-owner Timothy Otte said it’s a slow time of the year, so losing sales is tough.

As a bookstore focused on young people, Wild Rumpus also wanted to follow the lead of student organizers, Otte said.

“Young readers are the future, and it is not their responsibility to build that future,” he said.

Many businesses that closed urged customers to consider visiting them Saturday or Sunday instead.

“The honest truth is that our local small businesses are hurting desperately right now, and losing another day’s sales is no small thing when sales losses have been rolling for a long time now,” Backstory Coffee Roasters said in a social media post announcing it’s three Twin Cities locations would stop regular business and instead serve free batch brew and pastries for a few hours Friday morning.

During a Friday news conference, Dan Swenson-Klatt, the longtime owner of Butter Bakery Cafe on Nicollet Avenue’s Eat Street, said he retired at the end of 2025 with the hope of selling his business.

Instead, Swenson-Klatt said, he and neighboring businesses have become a hub for community organizing, providing training, whistles and resources.

“January was hard. February will be hard,” he said. “We need continued support for our small business community to weather this storm.”

In lieu of closing, many businesses said they planned to donate a portion of proceeds from Friday sales to local nonprofits providing legal and financial support to immigrants.

“Is there a model for small business during a general strike that resists fascism while keeping our community spaces strong?” Little Joy Coffee in Northfield said in an Instagram post announcing plans to sell $5 lattes to fund mutual aid.

Since early January, Mothership Pizza Paradise has been giving 10% of sales to staff affected by the presence of immigration agents. After conversations with workers, the southwest Minneapolis restaurant remained open both Fridays to provide for employees and offer a safe gathering space, though it expressed support for the general strike in a social media post.