Plans for a retail store devoted to CEO Mike Lindell's MyPillow products have sparked outrage in an Ohio town.
Jason Hanna, part of a group of investors that's behind the store planned in the Columbus suburb of Clintonville, said he's been called a "terrorist, insurrectionist and pedophile" online.
"The nastiness started shortly after the sign went up around Aug. 15, which triggered a volley of hostile exchanges between Hanna and liberals in the area," the Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday.
Hanna admitted to fueling the fire by calling one of his online critics "a little girl," but he is defending the store, claiming it is "not political."
"I liked this product before Trump came into office," he told the newspaper.
"Yet he said he was aware of Lindell's product getting banned from Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond, H-E-B and Wayfair," the Dispatch reported. "The cited reasons are that Lindell alleged voter fraud in last year's election between Trump and current President Joe Biden. The company's account also was suspended by Twitter."
Hanna previously told the local NBC affiliate that he decided to open the store in response to other retailers' bans of MyPillow.
"I don't think a business should suffer because of the founder's political beliefs," he said.
Hanna and his partners eventually plan to open five MyPillow stores in the Columbus area. The stores are not franchises but will resell products — including pillows, sheets and mattress toppers — purchased directly from MyPillow.
Currently, there are five company-owned MyPillow stores in Minnesota, according to the station, which also reported that a Facebook post about the topic had generated hundreds of comments in the "Clintonville Discussion Forum."
"While some snuggle up to Lindell's plan for a shopfront in the area, others think it's got more than a few holes," the station reported.
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