Kelly Clarkson accused a New York City store of treating her as though she couldn’t afford its merchandise. But the business at the center of her viral complaint offered a different explanation.
Clarkson, a three-time Grammy winner, publicly called out Art of Play in Brooklyn, writing Saturday on X that she visited the curiosity shop with “a few things in mind to buy” and was offered something similar after being treated as though she couldn’t afford what she wanted.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” Clarkson wrote of the employee who served her at the store. She compared the experience to the scene in “Pretty Woman” in which Julia Roberts’ character is snubbed at an upscale boutique, urging people to visit the store “if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character.”
Clarkson’s accusation sparked swift backlash against Art of Play, leading many social media users to criticize it and leave negative online reviews.
Art of Play said Sunday in a statement on Instagram that Clarkson asked about purchasing Molly, a “one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton.” The mechanical bird wasn’t for sale, the store said, because it “plays an important role in the magic shows we host here.”
“However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop,” the store wrote. It added that all visitors to Art of Play are “equally welcome.”
The statement, which offered an explanation for why Clarkson couldn’t buy the bird, didn’t directly address her allegation that an employee had treated her as though she “couldn’t afford” its merchandise.
Art of Play described the reaction to Clarkson’s post as overwhelming.
“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store,” it added. “It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”
Art of Play’s response Sunday fueled further debate online over whether Clarkson misinterpreted the interaction and whether her decision to publicly name the small business was warranted.
Representatives for Clarkson and Art of Play didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a post Sunday evening on X, Clarkson doubled down, accusing Art of Play of lying in its statement about the bird art being for sale.
“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,’” she wrote.
Clarkson said the store was “really cool” and she supports small businesses, “but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business.”
Early Monday morning, the Art of Play posted an additional statement responding to Clarkson’s last post. The store said that during her 5-minute visit, after she asked about the mechanical bird, they explained to Clarkson that while Molly “serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines” and that he would be willing to part with the puppet 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,” the store explained in an Instagram post. “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 is a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” and the former host of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which also aired on the network. NBC is a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News.
The incident has ignited some discourse about whether bias plays into stores’ treatment of customers.
Some online speculated that Clarkson may have taken offense because she wasn’t recognized, while others argued that she was asking to be treated decently as a customer regardless of whether the business knew of her wealth and status.
In its statement, Art of Play thanked its community for its support and welcomed “all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama.” The store also referred to one of Clarkson’s most famous lyrics.
“We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday,” Art of Play wrote. “As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’”
