A Nantucket gift shop is making a move to stop influencers from creating in-store content.
The Four Winds Craft Guild in Nantucket, an island about 30 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, posted a picture of a new sign in their store stating "No Influencers" on Instagram on July 27, and it immediately went viral.
It is unclear why the shop, which sells Nantucket "friendship baskets," a traditional handbag-style woven basket created in 1948 by basket maker José Formoso Reyes, doesn't want influencers in its establishment.
USA TODAY has contacted The Four Winds Craft Guild on Aug. 3 for comment.
What are people online saying?
Stephanie Hanna, a home decor influencer with over 436,000 followers, took issue with the sign in a comment on the Instagram page.
"I visited Nantucket
for the first time with my family this summer. We fell in love with Nantucket. One day I walked into your store and saw that sign and immediately felt uncomfortable," wrote Hanna.
"I thought to myself why would they have that sign on such a beautiful island where I felt magic around every corner. Made me feel bad for being me for a minute but I realized that anyone that would make anyone feel unwelcome is not where I should be. Maybe a no photos or video sign would be a good replacement," she continued.
Another Instagram commenter argued the store was right to put up the sign.
"Part of Nantucket’s magic is that it still feels like a real community. As someone who misses wandering little shops without ending up in someone else’s reel… I got the joke."
According to the town's official website, year-round residents total around 14,000, while that number scales to 50,000 or more during peak summer months.
Erin Gates, another home decor content creator based in New York City, defended the shop.
"Nantucket was once a quaint island, but now feels only for the uber rich- the prices to stay in a hotel or rent a house are astronomical and the streets are packed with six figure cars, you can’t get dinner without a reservation months in advance, parking is non existent and the stores are all slowly turning from small businesses into chains," she said.
The post continued: "If everyone is so upset about 'influencers invading the island' and robbing it of its charm then what about all of those other things that have, for me, made my visits less and less enjoyable over the years as well?"
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nantucket shop's 'No Influencers' sign goes viral, prompts backlash
