The owner of Celiac Supplies in Coorparoo has defended her controversial decision to charge customers $5 for browsing in her shop about 4km southeast of Brisbane's CBD.

“It's not my own idea, I have heard of other shops doing it, but they haven't put a sign up at the front door,” said Georgina who doesn't want her surname published.

“I have to wake people up, everything in life is not free.”

The big problem for Georgina is that people come in, seek her advice, then take their business elsewhere, either online or to the big supermarket chains.