The owner of a store selling luxury fur-lined coats has been forced to close after getting more than 1,000 hate messages and death threats.
Faye Rogers, 28, opened The Boutique only four weeks ago and it became an immediate success in the Cotswolds town of Stroud.
Wealthy locals couldn’t get enough of the small pop-up’s high-end jackets, gilets and scarves, around a tenth of which are lined with fur from foxes, rabbits and raccoons.
But in the past fortnight Mrs Rogers has been inundated with messages from internet trolls, which included death threats and one saying they hoped she would get cancer.
Faye Rogers, 28, opened The Boutique in the Cotswolds town of Stroud that sold clothes with fur
A protest outside the store went ahead on Saturday even though she had already decided to close the shop over fears for her safety and that of her four staff.
Mrs Rogers said: ‘At first, me and my husband Alex were laughing at the Facebook messages.
‘I didn’t really care. I love fur, like a lot of people, and I’m not a vegan, so as long as we are trading legally then I’m really not interested in what they have to say.
‘But the messages got worse and worse until someone said, “I’m sure you were abused as a child, that’s why you’re so cruel to animals”.
The small pop-up’s high-end jackets, gilets and scarves, around a tenth of which are lined with fur from foxes, rabbits and raccoons
‘Since then it’s been relentless and I received 1,000 messages in four days. I’ve been told to go to hell and called a “selfish fur hag”. I decided to close and trade online when one person said they’d burn the shop down. I don’t want to put my staff or myself in jeopardy.’
On Saturday around 50 protesters held up banners outside the shop saying ‘fur kills’ and ‘fur trade, murder trade’ in front of a fake gutted fox.
Mrs Rogers, who moved from London to Stroud 17 months ago, says she is thinking of opening a store in nearby Gloucester to escape the anger of her adopted home, which she describes as a town ‘full of weirdos and vegans’.
Around 50 protesters held up banners outside the shop saying ‘fur kills’ and ‘fur trade, murder trade’ in front of a fake gutted fox
The messages of hate – which came from as far afield as Australia and the US – included graphic images of skinned animals, while one compared her to Cruella de Vil, the puppy fur-seeking villain from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians.
Mrs Rogers added: ‘These trolls are hiding behind a mask of being vegan and animal-loving just so they can be nasty. They are bored and have nothing to do with their lives.’
Selling fur in not illegal in the UK, although there are strict rules over which animal it comes from and where it is sourced.
Mrs Rogers, who moved from London to Stroud 17 months ago, says she is thinking of opening a store in nearby Gloucester to escape the anger of her adopted home
The Boutique’s fur-lined gilets, which come from Paris, start at £250, while Canadian fox fur jackets sell for around £500.
Police said they were aware of the comments but no official complaint had been made.
A spokesman added: ‘Abusive or threatening messages via email or on social media can constitute an offence under the Malicious Communications Act.’