Kelly Clarkson found herself emboiled in an online feud with Brooklyn shop Art of Play over the weekend. On Saturday, the singer shared that she had visited the store and was met with an experience similar to the one Julia Roberts’ character encounters in Pretty Woman.
“Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” she wrote on X. “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman.”
Art of Play, which describes itself as a “unique collection of home goods, puzzles, games, toys and books,” quickly responded.
“Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,” the store wrote on Instagram. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.”
After explaining that they are a welcoming place to shop, the store added, “Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”
After many fans online questioned the sincerity of Art of Play’s statement, Clarkson herself stepped back into the fray.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale,” she wrote on Instagram Stories on Sunday night. “That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with — so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone, ‘Yes, it’s for sale but it costs $15,000, so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.’ That all never happened and now it’s not for sale.”
She continued, “So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it. And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.”
Art of Play later clarified that Clarkson spent only five minutes in the store, during which she inquired about about “our mechanical bird puppet named Molly.”
“We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle,” the store wrote. “He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson. We also offered to show her a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day. It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it.”
They added, “We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air. We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”