Business Community

Gig Harbor businesses largely kept their doors open during National Shutdown

The littles were locked out on Friday, Jan. 30. Stuffed animals sat silent and motionless. Taped to the door of “The Best Toy Store in the Galaxy” was a message for grownups:

“Teaching Toys will be closed on Friday, January 30, as part of the National Shutdown. We stand in solidarity against ICE and their deplorable actions in the Twin Cities and all across the country. We will open again on Saturday, January 31, and we will continue to be a safe place where everyone can feel welcome. Find more information at NationalShutdown.com.”

National Shutdown

The National Shutdown was a coordinated effort Friday asking people to skip work, school and shopping to protest actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The movement grew after several deadly incidents involving immigration agents in Minnesota, including the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Student groups and advocacy organizations urged lawmakers to stop funding ICE and make policy changes.

Teaching Toys Too closed on Jan. 30 for the National Shutdown. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Next door, at Ben & Jerry’s in the Uptown Gig Harbor Shopping Complex, the lights were on and the door unlocked. The store was open, but no customers were inside.

It was January, and they sell ice cream, so maybe that’s no surprise. But the store wasn’t ignoring the moment.

The Gig Harbor Ben & Jerry’s will offer customers a way to support a nonprofit organization. Last year, during the company’s annual Free Cone Day in April, the store served 1,000 free ice cream cones and raised $2,000 for the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network.

The Ben & Jerry’s in Uptown Gig Harbor remained open during the National Shutdown, but will donate proceeds from an upcoming day to a nonprofit supporting immigrants. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

This year’s Free Cone Day is scheduled for April 13. Every customer will receive a free ice-cream cone. Customers who choose to upgrade to a waffle cone will have the cost of the upgrade donated by the store to the nonprofit.

Manager Haley Shide said closing the store would have required reaching an agreement with employees to not work. Ben & Jerry’s locations operate as franchises, she said.

Like Ben & Jerry’s, the gift and greeting card store Paper Luxe chose to remain open while committing a portion of sales to a nonprofit. Paper Luxe donated 10 percent of sales last weekend to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

Paper Luxe in Uptown Gig Harbor remained open for business, but donated 10% of sales over the weekend to a nonprofit that supports immigrants. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

‘Businesses are already hurting’

It was business as usual along the downtown waterfront. Many business owners said they had not heard of the National Shutdown.

“Businesses are already hurting, and making a statement that doesn’t support small businesses doesn’t help,” said Carrie Polinsky, manager of Tickled Pink and Direction Apparel, who was unaware of the National Shutdown.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with politics,” she added.

One business owner said she preferred to keep business and politics separate. Taking a political stance risks upsetting one side or the other.

Survival, not ideology, drove the decision for some small businesses. January is already a slow month. Closing, even briefly, was not a viable option for shops working to stay afloat.

Several business owners echoed that sentiment. For some along the waterfront, staying open while providing “a safe space for the community” was their way of participating in the National Shutdown.

In the downtown waterfront area, most businesses remained open during the National Shutdown. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Supporting one another

At Invitation Bookshop, bookseller Rada Huddleston said the shop welcomed a few young visitors who came in to sit and read. Instead of closing, Huddleston said staff asked themselves how to support causes while also supporting local businesses. Their decision was to also support neighboring independent shops, visiting B’s Bagels and Fusion Donuts to show solidarity.

“Businesses supporting businesses,” she said.

Fusion Donuts acknowledged on social media that the landscape for small businesses has been tough.

“Small businesses have taken quite the hit the past year. We have witnessed friends and neighbors closing and are so thankful and lucky to still be here,” the post read.

For that reason, the shop chose to stay open. As a small, immigrant-owned business, they said they are committed to remaining “welcome in our community.” They also noted support for the nationwide strike and encouraged customers to pay in cash to keep large corporations out of business transactions. By 2 p.m., the donuts had sold out.

Across downtown Gig Harbor, businesses operated much as usual. That reflected the reality that January is already a slow month for small retailers and that many felt closing even briefly was not a viable option when they were working simply to stay afloat.

The sign on the door of Teaching Toys Too read: Sign on their Gig Harbor store door says:
“Teaching Toys will be closed on Friday, January 30th, as part of the National Shutdown
We stand in solidarity against ICE and their deplorable action in the Twin Cities and all across the country. We will open again on Saturday, January 31st, and we will continue to be a safe place where everyone can feel welcome. Find more information at NationalShutdown.com”
Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann