Funky Ladles, (formerly known as Zoupwerks), a soup and sandwich shop in Acorn Alley in downtown Kent, will be shutting down until further notice on Wednesday due to downtown construction.

Randy Durant, shop owner, said his shop will remain closed until students come back for the fall semester or until road construction is complete.

Durant said it is currently costing him more to keep his business running than the profit he’s made since construction began.

“Being closed will benefit my business at this point,” Durant said.

Funky Ladles (formerly known as Zoupwerks) is currently the only business closing in Acorn Alley due to construction, though Durant hopes neighboring vendors will join him.

“We are very sorry for the [inconvenience] to the dozens that make the trek across the war zone to obtain our great foodstuffs each day,” Durant wrote to customers on Funky Ladles’ Facebook page.

Durant said the city has not offered him or any of the other Acorn Alley vendors compensation for their loss of business.

“It’s a lot of rhetoric,” he said. “Just, ‘Hang in there, things will get better.’”

Contact Leighann McGivern at [email protected].