San Francisco hair salon owner Erica Kious announced plans to permanently close her business amid the controversy surrounding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit.
Kious appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity on Wednesday where she explained why she decided to shutter the doors of her business.
“I am actually done in San Francisco and closing my doors, unfortunately,” Kious confirmed.
The 15-year San Francisco resident also revealed her business faced unprecedented criticism and “a lot of negativity” following the release of the Pelosi report. From phone calls to Yelp reviews, Kious’ business has been met with opposition.
“I started to just get a ton of phone calls, text messages, emails, all my Yelp reviews, saying that they hope I go under and that I fail,” Kious said. “So just a lot of negativity towards my business.”
She later added, “I’m actually afraid to go back. … It’s a little scary and sad. I do have a lot of positive calls and text messages from clients. But other than that, nothing but negativity.”
See Kious’ remarks below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llBuBGrAiC8
Kious’ decision to close her business follows multiple reports about Pelosi’s visit to her salon. When footage surfaced of Pelosi’s visit to the salon, the Democratic lawmaker was lambasted by Republicans. At one point during the surveillance video, Pelosi was seen with her mask below her chin.
Although Pelosi faced serious backlash for the video, Kious was accused of “setting up” the top-ranking Democrat, according to CBS News.
Pelosi also demanded an apology from Kious, who has denied the accusation that it was a “set-up.”
As a result of the Pelosi controversy, the salon owner has received overwhelming financial support from people who stand with her. The crowdfunding effort has surpassed $336,000.