How ICE chaos and a boycott plan are turning Minnesota retailers into community spaces

• January is typically a slow month for retailers — a time for restocking, chores, and tax prep.
• This year, small businesses in the Minneapolis area have thrown that out the window.
• They're offering aid during heightened ICE activity; some will close for Friday's economic blackout.

January is typically a quiet month at Mischief Toys in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Owner Dan Marshall said he usually spends it cleaning up after Christmas, painting the walls, and doing his taxes.

This year, though, "that's not what we're being called to do," said Marshall, who co-owns the toy and game store with his wife and daughter. Instead, he estimates that the store has distributed around 4,000 3D printed whistles, which Minnesotans have been using as an alert and protest system against ICE. Marshall said that the store has also served as a space for the community to come in, relax, and process what they've been seeing.

"Retail feels totally different right now," Marshall said. "It feels like a way of connecting with our community that we haven't really felt before. It's very raw."

It's part of what Minneapolis-area business owners hope is a temporary abandonment of business-as-usual. Since December, the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Metro Surge has poured ICE agents into Minnesota. Rising tensions following officer Jonathan Ross's fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Gold on January 7 have further turned a normally chill month into a flurry of whistle-distributing and community aid. For small business owners in Minnesota, it's been an eventful — and not necessarily lucrative — January, as they instead turn their attention to supporting their communities.

Many businesses are also opting into a possible income hit on January 23, when unions and faith leaders are calling for a suspension of work, school, and shopping to protest ICE's actions. Local news site Bring Me The News compiled a growing list of over 200 local establishments' social media posts about their plans to participate in the economic blackout day. Some have said they plan to donate that day's revenue; others are shuttering completely or opening as a free community space.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a January 20 press release, "Since President Trump took office, DHS has arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota, and we are NOT slowing down. Our law enforcement officers are saving countless American lives." ICE and the White House did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Catzen Coffee, a specialty coffee shop with an attached cat lounge, will not be doing business on Friday, but plans to open for those who need a space to hang out — free coffee and cat cuddles included.

Catzen owner Vanessa Beardsley said that the irony of being a business owner and opting out of business for a day never crossed her mind; not making revenue was never part of the calculus.

"We've got to do what we can do right now," Beardsley said.

A topsy-turvy January

"January always sucks," Matt Cole, the owner of Oh Yeah! Cookie Company, said. "As a business owner, especially in retail business, people spend a lot of money in December and November, and they usually don't spend a lot of money in January. So January is always a month that's hurting — and now it's really hurting."

National Retail Federation's spending data shows an average drop in retail sales of 17.3% from December to January over the last five years. January through March has also typically seen the lowest average monthly employment for small businesses across the past few years. An analysis from consumer research firm Consumer Edge of credit and debit card data found that spending in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area by households earning under $100,000 has tracked lower than the national average over the four weeks ending January 10.

This year, Cole estimates he's donated around $300 worth of cookies to groups distributing treats to kids who can't go to school amid ICE's presence. He said that if he does make any money right now, he'll donate 10% of his sales. The full-time role he works in addition to his homemade baking business has been keeping him afloat.

Cole isn't the only one pivoting from normal business.

JP Pritchett, the owner of adult store Smitten Kitten in Minneapolis, said that they usually devote January to ramping up for Valentine's Day, which they described as the "Super Bowl" for adult stores.

"Typically in January, we're ramping up inventory, getting the store stocked, just getting ready to do commerce," Pritchett said. "But this year, I don't care about that. Nobody cares about that."

Instead, Pritchett said, "We stopped all regular business and created a free store inside Smitten Kitten where people could come get food or send a trusted friend or neighbor to come get food, toiletries, lots of diapers, formula, baby wipes — all the things that are really important to sustain life if you're in hiding."

Marshall, the owner of Mischief Toys, said that after promoting the store's whistle distribution, he received a notice from ICE requesting verification of his workers' employment eligibility. He said that shuttering on the 23rd sends a message "that our community is much more important than our bottom line," which he believes is a positive.

"We'd like to sell toys," Marshall said, adding that he'd prefer to spend January cleaning and painting "because it's so damn cold here," but with heightened tensions in the city, "we're going to step up as much as we can."