The owner of a flea market and antique store in Hot Springs, Arkansas is receiving backlash after asking a lesbian couple to stop holding hands in his store.

Engaged couple Ashley Looper and Jessica Perkins said they were shopping at Spa City Treasures on Saturday when the store's owner, Steve Salyers, began to follow them around.

Salyers eventually approached them and reportedly asked them to stop, but says it has nothing to do with him being homophobic.

"I’m a family person, so I want this to be a family store,” he told KARK-TV. “It’s like I wouldn’t want to take my kids to a strip club or something."

“I just felt like they were just doing something that was inappropriate to have kids around,” Salyers added. “It would have been the same whether it had been regular people or not.”

The women took their story to KARK in order to spread the word to the LGBT community that the store may discriminate against them if they choose to shop there.

Since then, hundreds have flocked to the Spa City Treasures Facebook page to leave a negative review of the shop.

Hot Springs has passed a law that prohibits LGBT discrimination, but it only applies to city employees and vendors, not public businesses.

h/t: Towleroad