A small sign in a Nantucket shop turned into a much bigger fight once Paige Paul saw it.
Four Winds Craft Guild put up a message that said, “No Influencers.” Paul, the wife of American tennis star Tommy Paul, took offense and posted the sign online along with a long response that framed it as more than a store policy.
“If you call yourself a feminist but proudly put up a “No Influencers” sign, it’s worth asking who you are attempting to delegitimize, and why…,” Paul said. “Mocking women when they become powerful in a new industry isn’t new.
It’s just a strange message coming from a store that celebrates a craft with such a rich history of women shaping the island and its economy. For those who don’t know, the creator economy is overwhelmingly driven by women.
Brands have shifted billions of dollars into creator marketing because it consistently delivers something traditional advertising can’t…. trust, community, and measurable sales. “One woman with a loyal audience can successfully launch a business at a scale that would have once required corporate backing and massive advertising budgets.
That’s a win. This sign isn’t,” she concluded.
The shop’s original post disappeared not long after her criticism went up. The business said its Instagram page had been reported, then put the sign back on its story with a jab of its own. “Imagine being so bored with life that you spend your pastime trying to report a photo on IG that makes you feel uncomfortable,” the business wrote.
The reaction online was immediate. Reddit users piled on, with many saying Paul and her clothing brand, Dairy Boy, are not popular on the island. Some commenters called her insufferable, while others accused her of using AI to write the lengthy post.
At the center of the whole mess is a complaint some brick-and-mortar owners know well: influencers coming in for free product or content without actually buying anything. The Nantucket shop took a blunt route with its sign.
Critics of Paul’s response argued the message was not aimed at women at all, just at content creators. Others said the whole thing was being blown out of proportion.
Paul’s own business recently opened a storefront on the island, and that move has already drawn mixed reviews from residents. This latest exchange only sharpened the tension. What started as a simple sign inside a shop quickly became a broader argument about gender, power and influence online - and it’s still spreading well beyond Nantucket.