Which businesses around KC are closing, cutting hours for anti-ICE strike?
Multiple businesses in the Kansas City area are taking different approaches in supporting the anti-ICE protests and nationwide general strike that is set to take place Friday, Jan. 30.
Several protests in Kansas City are planned, including one at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s local headquarters; another at 3 p.m. at WWI Memorial Park; and one at 5 p.m. in downtown Kansas City. They’ll be just some of the hundreds of protests that are planned across the U.S. in wake of the deaths of multiple citizens by federal agents, including former Kansas City resident Renee Good.
Organizers are calling for people to not attend school or work and to refrain from shopping on Friday to create an economic blackout.
One local business that will take a pause is Raven Book Store, 809 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence. According to its social media, they will be closed on Jan. 30 while giving workers a paid day off.
The bookstore has been outspoken about their disdain toward ICE, according to the store’s co-owner Mary Wahlmeier Bracciano. She said that while closing for the day could take away some people’s safe space, she believes “the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.”
“When we saw that people in Minneapolis were calling for this, we wanted to show our support and have our actions speak to our values,” Wahlmeier Bracciano told The Star.
“We are very vocal about supporting communities of color and especially queer people. We definitely have been outspoken about just wanting to abolish ICE, defund ICE. We don’t want any part of them.”
20% of online sales the bookstore makes on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 will be donated to Somos Lawrence, a project that’s a part of the Ballard Center in Lawrence, which works to keep the community safe and stable for non-English speakers and Spanish-speaking neighbors of Douglas County. Sales will also be donated to Sanctuary Alliance LFK, an organization that advocates for immigrants who live in Lawrence.
What will other local businesses do on Jan. 30?
Some local establishments will keep their doors open for those participating in protests.
The Fix, 600 E. 31st St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and will have free sign-making materials and free Mexican hot chocolate while supplies last. They will also have to-go burritos available for purchase, with all proceeds going towards Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation , a local program that advocates for immigration rights and community reconciliation.
Seven Swans Crêperie, 1746 Washington St., will also remain open Friday, but will donate 10% of Friday’s sales to AIRR.
Oddly Correct Coffee Bar, 4141 Troost Ave., announced on social media that they will close early Jan. 30 to allow workers to participate in the rally. The coffee shop will be open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday.
The Westside Local, 1663 Summit St., will be closed for the day, it announced on its social media. In their Instagram caption, they asked people to not work and to only shop with local businesses on Jan. 30.
Blip Roasters, 1301 Woodswether Road, will be open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, according to its social media. They will be closing early to allow their team to participate in the rally.
Virgil’s Plant Shop, 2763 Cherry St., will keep its doors open Friday, saying the establishment can be used as a safe space for people during the protest on its social media.
Café Corazón said on Instagram that their locations will remain open on Friday, but they are taking new initiatives to support Kansas City’s immigrant community. This includes a portion of their February sales going to AIRR, promoting donation links to AIRR at checkout for customers, and having the organization at the café Feb. 14 to share resources.
Scout Coffee, 1400 W. Main St., will be closing early Friday to allow its employees to head to the protest. The coffee shop will be open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We will be closing early to allow our staff to participate in the nationwide strike to protest ICE and our government for allowing their inhumane, terrorizing tactics in our communities,” the café wrote in their Instagram post.
Not every business is able to close for the day for financial reasons. Cafe Cà Phê, 916 E. 5th St., said that they will remain open on Friday but vocalized their support for the movement.
“Weather-related closures over the weekend put us in a position where fully closing is not financially possible. That said, we have internally organized so that any staff member who wishes to participate in the local strike is fully supported in doing so,” the store said in its Instagram post.
ICE operations have been increasing in the Kansas City area over the last few weeks, with a possible detention center site being identified in the southern portion of the city. Organizers have also been working on ways to try and stop the sale of the facility, but the company who owns the building, Platform Ventures, said previously that negotiations are complete.
City officials have responded to the increase in activity by enacting a five-year moratorium on permits for detention facilities by non-city entities. County officials are also working on a similar plan to try and stop the ICE detention facility. However, it’s still unclear whether that moratorium would hold up in court.
“I think we need to put our money where our mouths are, and donate to organizations in our community that are working for immigrants,” said Wahlmeier Bracciano, the Raven Book Store co-owner.
This story includes reporting by The Star’s Ben Wheeler.
This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 5:17 PM.
