Emmy and Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson is pulling no punches after a weekend trip to a boutique in Brooklyn, New York, turned into a high-profile public spat over customer service and store etiquette.
Taking to social media on Saturday, October 10, the 44-year-old talk show host and pop icon called out local novelty store Art of Play, alleging that employees profiled her and assumed she lacked the financial means to purchase high-ticket inventory. Drawing a direct parallel to one of cinema’s most famous shopping snubs, Clarkson compared the interaction to the iconic Beverly Hills scene 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. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” Clarkson wrote online, adding, “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.”
Following public commentary surrounding the post, Art of Play issued a statement explaining that the item Clarkson inquired about—a vintage mechanical singing bird named “Molly”—was a permanent fixture and mascot attached to the venue’s wall, rendering it unavailable for immediate retail purchase.
Unpersuaded by the shop’s explanation, Clarkson responded directly with a photo showing a price tag hanging near the display while doubling down on her initial account of the conversation.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. 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 dollars 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. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” Clarkson posted via X.
She continued: “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.”
On Monday, October 12, representatives for Art of Play released a follow-up statement clarifying the specifics of the $15,000 figure mentioned during her visit.
“We’d like to clarify one additional detail about Kelly Clarkson’s visit to our Curiosity Shop on Saturday,” the store wrote. “During the 5 minutes she spent in the store, she inquired 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. He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson.”
The store noted that alternative options were suggested on site: “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.”
Concluding their statement, the shop indicated they hope to move past the public back-and-forth: “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.”
