Amid nationwide calls for consumers to buy nothing on Friday to protest aggressive tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, local businesses shut down, along with others across the nation.

But some Montgomery County restaurants and cafes said closing for a day — and a Friday in particular — isn’t something they can afford to do, even if they support the protests.

“We’re staying open because we have to,” Spencer Trach and Lulu Parajuli, owners of Neighbors Coffee in Rockville, said in a statement they posted to Instagram on Friday. “As a small business, closing our doors — even in protest — isn’t a meaningful option. Rent doesn’t pause. Payroll doesn’t pause. Survival doesn’t pause.”

Across the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia area, a slew of other locally owned organizations have expressed similar views.

Little Miner Taco in Rockville, which also stayed open “in solidarity,” noted that many of the restaurant’s staff “are immigrants and part of the communities being impacted today.” They urged customers to choose to support small, local businesses should they choose to spend money on Friday.

Double standard?

The National Shutdown campaign, which organized the protest, hopes that a country full of people refusing to shop, work or go to school can leave enough of a mark on the national economy to pressure the government to shut down ICE operations.

That’s why Lost Sock Roasters, which has locations in Takoma and NoMa in Washington, D.C., decided to shut down for the day. Owners highlighted the importance of celebrating the nation’s diversity, especially in their line of work.

“The hospitality industry is built by immigrants: cooks, dishwashers, baristas, servers, bakers, managers, and owners from countries all around the world. These are the people who make our cities and communities vibrant,” read a statement from the company. “Right now, immigrants are being targeted and dehumanized. Fear is being used as a tool. That is not the country we want.”

But some local restaurant owners and supporters of the boycott argued that extending it beyond large businesses, which are better able to survive the loss of a day’s profit, can have unintended consequences.

Small businesses are “not the intended target of today’s events,” the Old Takoma Business Association said in a statement that expressed support for those businesses whether or not they heeded the boycott.

January is already a notoriously slow month for the restaurant industry. Couple that with the recent snowstorm. Many small-business owners said this boycott comes at an especially unaffordable time.

Fridays are usually the second-highest sales day of the week, Trach told The Banner in a phone interview.

“I fully understand and respect the situation, but we also have to run a businesses. Are those same standards being held to larger corporations?” he said. “What actions could we be taking to be a catalyst in the community rather than just shutting down?”

Another approach

Most of the local spots and business organizations speaking out about the boycott made one thing clear: They support the protests. Instead of shutting down, some found other ways to back the cause in what they feel is a more productive way.

“While some businesses are closing in solidarity, others are remaining open and donating a portion of their profits to support immigrant advocacy and legal defense organizations,” the Takoma Park group added.

Immigrant-owned Cielo Rojo in Takoma Park, and its sister restaurant, San Pancho, plan to donate 15% of sales on Friday to CASA, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit.

Wonderland Books in Bethesda said it will remain open on Friday “for anyone seeking community,” but would be donating a portion of the day’s sales to Ayuda, a DMV-based organization supporting immigrants.

Neighbors Coffee is offering a 15% discount this weekend to any customers who can show proof that they called their local members of Congress. They’re also planning to reach out to local officials and are continuing brainstorming ways to encourage civic participation closer to the midterms, including possible discounts for people who vote, or anyone who brings in someone they helped to get registered to vote.

“I don’t think silence is an option for us any longer,” Trach added.