Following a barrage of "negativity," San Francisco salon owner Erica Kious has shuttered her business.
"That means that I am actually done in San Francisco, and I am closing my doors, unfortunately," she told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday night.
Kious was thrust into the spotlight after sharing footage of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi getting a private appointment in her salon, despite local ordinances that prohibited indoor stylings during the COVID outbreak. The Speaker also failed to properly wear her mask while walking through the salon. Once Pelosi was caught on camera, she accused the salon of a "setup" and demanded an apology.
But it's Kious who feels more entitled to an apology, because the Democratic leader may have singlehandedly ruined her livelihood. In the wake of the controversy, Kious says she's been receiving nasty Yelp reviews, emails, and text messages saying they "hope I under and that I fail." In some cases, she's even received death threats.
In fact, Kious is "afraid to go back" to San Francisco, the city she's lived in for 15 years, she said. "Because of the emails I've been getting. It's a little scary and sad."
"You're afraid to physically go back to San Francisco?" Carlson asked, stunned.
"Yes," she replied.
She still has a few friends left though. And she thanked those who are sending her words of encouragement.
??Thank you! pic.twitter.com/YhD6AfFaY0
— Erica Kious (@eSalonSF) September 8, 2020
Over 2,000 businesses in the city have closed during the pandemic, according to the San Francisco Chronicle,
Kious should remember that she did get an invitation to open her salon in South Dakota, from the governor herself.