The details of Kelly Clarkson’s “Pretty Woman” moment in a Brooklyn toyshop this weekend were thrown into question on Sunday when the owners of Art of Play responded to the Grammy winner’s account of being disrespected by a staffer.
While Clarkson said in an X post that a sales associate on Saturday looked at her “as if I couldn’t afford” to shop there and “was told he could find something comparable for me,” Art of Play said in an Instagram statement Sunday that she was interested in purchasing a one-of-a-kind, permanent wall fixture that was not for sale.
“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 owners explained. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale.”
(It was an account that Clarkson later fired back against Sunday evening, sharing an image of the $15,000 price tag on the wall beside the bird animatronic. “So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” she said in a second X post.)
The store’s Sunday statement detailed the last 24 hours of millions of fans harassing them online in the aftermath of Clarkson’s call-out: “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.”
Now with Clarkson’s follow-up post, Art of Play can make that at least two mentions by a celebrity. The musician didn’t express concern for the Brooklyn-based business being overrun by online chatter, and emphasized that she’s a regular supporter of small businesses. “You don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business,” she said. “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 said they plan to keep their head down and hope to clear the air more formally with Clarkson down the line.
“Thanks to all our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama,” the owners said of the drama Sunday. “We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’”
Read the Art of Play’s response in full below:
It all began with a Saturday X post that quickly went viral, in which Clarkson discarded her typically sunny demeanor to put the Brooklyn Heights toy and magic shop Art of Play on blast for not selling her what she wanted.
“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. “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.’ For sure, check it out.”
Fans were quick to link to the shop’s website and social pages and rally support to defend Clarkson. “Sound off here, people,” one fan wrote on X, linking to the business’ Facebook page.
While the sales experience now appears to have been a big miscommunication, Art of Play did sympathize with Clarkson for feeling like she was disrespected in their store.
“The negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop,” they wrote.
The saga later continued into the early morning Monday when Art of Play followed up their message with an additional explanation for why “Molly” had an apparent price tag in their store. The store alleged that there is a “nearly identical automaton” being sold by its Seattle-based creator for $15,000, which is why the valuation was included on their own store’s wall.
“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,” the statement continued. “It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it. 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.”
Clarkson has not yet responded to the store’s explanation to quell her complaints over her experience, but TheWrap will update this story as she does. Representatives for Clarkson did not respond to TheWrap’s request for additional comment.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Monday, Oct. 12, to reflect additional social media posts from Clarkson and Act of Play.
