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Hartford Prints! on Pratt Street was closed January 30, 2026 as part of a 'National Shutdown' general strike. Credit: P.R. Lockhart / CT Mirror

A smattering of businesses in Connecticut closed their doors Friday as part of a national effort to demonstrate opposition to large-scale immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota and other parts of the country.

Organizers behind the “National Shutdown” urged people all over the country not to work, go to school or shop on Friday, one week after a similar demonstration in downtown Minneapolis shut down nearly 1,000 businesses, schools, museums and shops as tens of thousands of residents marched in freezing temperatures.

While closures in Connecticut weren’t widespread, a contingent of businesses were closed. Several others remained open but donated a portion of the day’s proceeds to legal aid or other causes.

[RELATED: CT organizers, unions to take part in ‘National Shutdown’]

In Chester, the Honeycone Craft Ice Cream shop was closed. A post on the shop’s Instagram page said the decision wasn’t made lightly.

“We love our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors,” the post reads. “We stand united with immigrants across the country, Minnesotans who have been fighting for their lives and communities, and all of the individuals and families affected by ICE nationwide.”

Hartford Prints!, a gift shop on Pratt Street in Hartford, left bins outside its shuttered front doors filled with free signs urging U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stand down. “We will not allow our constitutional rights to be infringed and we demand ice out everywhere,” a post on the business’s Instagram reads. 

Protest signs were also taped to the nearby windows of Gentle Bull Shop, a vintage clothing store on Pratt Street. The store was closed for the day. Neither business immediately responded to requests for comment.  

New Haven gift shop Strange Ways remained open Friday. In a post on Instagram, a representative for the company said, “While the motivation to protest is admirable and needed, I personally do not think closing a small business in our community will have the effect needed. It only feels like punishing ourselves.”

The post went on to say that foot traffic and sales were already low this month and went on to encourage anyone participating in a demonstration on the nearby New Haven Green on Friday to stop by if they need a place to warm up.

Some businesses said they planned to donate some proceeds from the day’s sales in solidarity with the nationwide event.

Farm Belly, a breakfast and lunch spot in New Haven, said half of Friday’s proceeds would go toward a refugee and immigrant services organization.

Cromwell bakery Tony’s Flour Shop pledged to donate all sales of “ICEd” coffee, saying on Instagram that they support the spirit behind the shutdown. 

“We grow more and more disturbed with every passing moment by the things that are happening in the country that we love,” the post read.

Bloom Bake Shop in Hartford said it would donate proceeds from cookie sales all weekend to the American Civil Liberties Union. A handful of customers were seated at tables Friday afternoon enjoying coffee and baked goods as they chatted or scrolled on phones.

As some shops closed their doors or donated proceeds, other businesses such as Fable, a tea room and gift shop in Southington, were encouraging the use of cash instead of credit cards as a form of economic protest. The shift would help keep money in the local community rather than in the hands of banks and credit card companies that charge significant processing fees to generate company profits, the company explained.

“While we would like to simply shut down, as an actual small business, we believe that would do more harm than good,” a representative for the shop said in a Instagram post. The shop will also donate a portion of future credit card sales to mutual aid groups in Connecticut and across the country.

Sara is a legislative reporting intern at CT Mirror. She is a senior at the University of Connecticut pursuing a dual degree in journalism and political science, with minors in environmental studies and English. Last year, Sara served as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Campus, UConn’s student-run newspaper and has reported campus news since her freshman year. She is the current president of UConn’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and magazine editor at Nutmeg Publishing, UConn’s yearbook and magazine publication. Outside of UConn, Sara has interned at the Worcester Business Journal, the Valley Breeze and the Community Advocate, where she covered schools, businesses, local governments and community town news.

P.R. Lockhart is CT Mirror’s economic development reporter. She focuses on the relationship between state economic policy, businesses activity, and equitable community development. P.R. previously worked as an economic development reporter in West Virginia for Mountain State Spotlight, where she covered inequality, workforce development, and state legislative policy. Her career began in Washington D.C. with fellowship and staff writer roles with Mother Jones and Vox. P.R. graduated with a degree in psychology and a certificate in policy journalism and media studies from Duke University.