Fresh off their wedding on Long Island, tennis star Tommy Paul and his new wife Paige are already making headlines—but not for their honeymoon. Paige Paul, formerly Paige Lorenze, is engaged in a heated feud with a Nantucket store that posted a sign reading: “No influencers.”
The Four Winds Craft Guild, a local fixture since 1948, has a playful policy meant to keep shoppers from blocking aisles while filming Instagram or TikTok content. But Paige isn't laughing. She took to social media to rip the store, framing the ban as an attack on women in the creator economy.
“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…” she wrote. She argued that mocking women who build power in new industries is nothing new, and called the sign “a strange message coming from a store that celebrates a craft with such a rich history of women shaping the island and its economy.”
Paige, who changed her surname after marrying the tennis ace earlier this month, pointed out that the creator economy is overwhelmingly female-driven. “Brands have shifted billions of dollars into creator marketing because it consistently delivers something traditional advertising can’t…. trust, community, and measurable sales,” she said. She added that a woman with a loyal audience can now launch a business at a scale that once required corporate backing, calling that “a win” and the store’s sign “not.”
The store hasn’t responded publicly yet. But the debate has already sparked conversations about the role of influencers in small businesses, especially in touristy spots like Nantucket. It’s a familiar tension: similar debates around influencer culture have popped up in other sports and lifestyle contexts.
Tommy Paul, who was joined at the wedding by fellow tennis stars Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, has stayed out of the fray so far. But his wife’s outburst has certainly put the couple in the spotlight for reasons beyond tennis.
Meanwhile, the Four Winds Craft Guild seems content to let its 75-year reputation speak for itself. The store has thrived without influencer endorsements, and its sign—whether meant as a lighthearted joke or a pointed statement—has clearly struck a nerve. For Paige, it’s a battle worth fighting, even if it means going viral for all the wrong reasons.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the new Mrs. Paul isn’t afraid to serve up an ace on social media. Whether that will change the store’s policy remains to be seen.
