At a Glance
- Jessica Zirkelbach says Ashley Owens agreed to delete a critical TikTok but later pinned it to her profile.
- The original video, posted in July 2025, has over 435,000 views.
- Zirkelbach claims the renewed attention is hurting her South Carolina boutique-salon.
- Why it matters: Small businesses face lasting damage from viral reviews, even after apologies and promised fixes.
A five-month-old TikTok takedown promise is at the center of a new clash between Jessica Zirkelbach, owner of Belle Beauty and Anderson Salon + Boutique, and influencer Ashley Owens.
The Original Post
In July 2025, Owens posted a TikTok describing a negative shopping trip to a combined boutique and salon. She said an employee treated her with hostility and noted she filmed the clip so “the owner should probably know.” The video quickly amassed 435,000 views.
Zirkelbach commented almost immediately: “I’m the owner. Super upset this happened and already reached out to make it right. This is not our standard at all!”
The next day, Owens uploaded an update. “She was very, very sweet, very apologetic, and really kind of heartbroken that it had happened,” Owens told her followers, adding that Zirkelbach was “glad that I made the video because she had no idea.”
The Renewed Fallout
On January 5, 2026, Zirkelbach posted-and later removed-a TikTok of her own. She recounted asking Owens to delete the original clip after their private conversation. “She agreed to remove the video,” Zirkelbach said, “but then the video gained traction overnight-hundreds of thousands of views and comments.”
According to Zirkelbach, Owens then claimed a technical glitch prevented deletion. After that, communication stopped. “Later in the afternoon, she reached out and let me know that there must have been a glitch because she could not get the video to delete,” Zirkelbach alleged.
The boutique owner says she accepted the situation once the comment section filled with similar customer complaints. “Had she not posted that video, I never would have learned that that was people’s experience over and over,” she explained, adding that her team renovated the space and retooled customer-service protocols.
Zirkelbach’s frustration reignited when she noticed Owens had pinned the original negative video to the top of her TikTok profile, pushing it back into circulation.
Dueling Statements
In a statement to News Of Losangeles, Zirkelbach said, “The original video was posted six months ago and was highly impactful on me, my mental health, and my business. I took accountability for the experience and have spent the last six months making real changes.”
She claims Owens’ recent, unrelated boutique video revived interest in the July post. “Because the original video about Belle Beauty was pinned on her page, I started receiving notifications again of people liking my comment identifying myself as the owner,” Zirkelbach added.
Zirkelbach also took issue with a comment she attributes to Owens: “People love small town boutique drama.”
“This is not drama to me. This is my life, my business, and something I have poured endless time, money, and heart into,” Zirkelbach said.
Owens denies the remark targeted Belle Beauty. She told News Of Losangeles the line referred to a separate local feud and that her first video was never intended as a formal review.
“I never mentioned the name of the store on purpose, because I also own a business. I’m not trying to trash anybody,” Owens said. “I was just talking about my experience at a certain store.”
She also disputes Zirkelbach’s deletion narrative. “After it blew up, she went back on that agreement and recently pinned the video,” Zirkelbach countered, arguing the move “continued to drive attention and content at the expense of my business.”
Owens says she pinned both the original and follow-up Belle Beauty clips because high-performing posts boost profile traffic. “Most [creators] have what they’re known for and their most-liked video pinned. That’s what people recognize them from,” she told News Of Losangeles.
She insists the pinning had “very little effect” on new views and claims Zirkelbach’s January response video is what spiked the numbers again.
Where Things Stand
- Zirkelbach removed her January rebuttal video but stands by its contents.
- Owens still has both Belle Beauty videos pinned.
- The original clip continues to accumulate views, comments, and fresh shares.
- Zirkelbach says several families depend on the boutique for income and asks followers to recognize the human cost behind viral criticism.
The back-and-forth illustrates how a single TikTok review can linger for months, shaping reputations and revenue long after the first click.
