Balaclavas could be banned in more city centres over concerns about "thuggish" behaviour, including robberies, burglaries and drug dealing.
The social media hashtag "no face no case" has been gaining traction glorifying balaclavas as a way to avoid prosecution.
Police across the UK have said face coverings are hampering their efforts to identify potential offenders.
Officials in Newport, as well as, Coventry, Stafford and Wolverhampton, are exploring ways to strengthen existing powers to challenge those wearing balaclavas, while Nottingham has already introduced a ban.
Annette Farmer said she was "devastated" to move her jewellery shop online after two burglaries and a shoplifting incident involving people wearing balaclavas between June and August.
"I didn't feel safe any more," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, after almost 40 years in business in Newport city centre.
"There are gangs hanging around with balaclavas.
"They're on bikes as well, speeding around the city, speeding around the river front... just basically doing what they want.
"It's intimidating, it's frightening."
Councillor David Fouweather said Farmer had been a valued member of the high street and the city council was "sorry to lose her".
He said there had been a incidents which had left residents "feeling intimidated", prompting the proposed ban on balaclavas.
"It's not good enough and it needs to be resolved," he said.
Newport college students Luie and Nath, both 16, are supportive of a ban.
"It just looks dodgy," said Luie, "I think they should ban it. I think if you wear one you're up to no good.
"If you stop these face coverings, you'll stop crime, people can recognise you, there's CCTV everywhere, if you remove face coverings - it's a simple fix really."
"There's a lot of crime going on and they're common around the city centre," Nath added.
"I just don't think they need to wear them - bad things come with them."
Gabreille said: "I think it's a good idea - they go around on their motorbikes intimidating people with their balaclavas on - and probably involved in crime and never get caught.
"It's quite intimidating when you're walking and they just zoom past you.
"I don't very often go into town - you feel intimidated wherever you go because there's a lot of antisocial behaviour going on.
"I tend to stay out of their way."
Photographer Attela Kis, 32, is concerned about the effect it may have on people choosing to cover their faces for religious reasons.
"It depends on what type of face covering you're talking about - like a Burka for example, this is part of their religion," he said.
"When people are riding their electric bikes and committing actual crimes, it's really dangerous.
"They shouldn't cover their faces, if anyone gets hit - or anything gets stolen people need to be found and prosecuted."
Matthew Evans, one of two Newport councillors who proposed the ban, said people were wearing "intimidating" face coverings to "rob, burgle and deal drugs in our city centre" and "avoid detection".
He proposed "exemptions for religious reasons" and said this was not an "attack on the human rights of young people".
This follows a recent joint police and council crackdown, Operation Krypton, which led to hundreds of arrests.
Supt Esyr Jones from Gwent Police said 321 arrests had been made since July to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour across Newport.
Newport council said the current Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was due for review, "and any potential amendments can be considered as part of that process".
It said the PSPO could potentially include face coverings, "and this too is being explored in relation to its practical implication and legalities".
But added there would be "exemptions for legitimate reasons, including religious, cultural, medical, occupational, weather or personal safety reasons".
In Nottingham, a senior police officer said offenders who wore them to hide their identity caused "substantial" problems.
Now, police there are allowed to ask people to remove their face covering if they "reasonably believe" they are being used to conceal their identity to commit crime or antisocial behaviour.
Anyone who refuses could face a £70 fixed penalty notice or a maximum fine of £1,000.
Marcellus Baz, who helps run a youth project called Switch Up in Nottingham, said young people were being influenced by social media and the drill music scene to wear balaclavas, which had increased with the rise in use of masks since the pandemic.
He said the use of balaclavas had also coincided with a rise in antisocial behaviour and knife crime so enforcing the removal of such masks was the "right step moving forward".
However, he was concerned mask-wearing could be displaced to other areas without a consistent and nationwide strategy which, he said, needed to be implemented "correctly so we don't have more distance between young people and institutions".
Baz said with cuts to things like youth services in the past, it "feels like the chickens are coming home to roost now".
"We've got to be proactive as a society and look at the root causes rather than just putting a plaster on this."
