On Saturday, October 10, American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson took to social media to share a negative experience she'd had while visiting an independent business in Brooklyn, New York. Clarkson's post quickly went viral, leading thousands of fans to share their shock at how she was treated.
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The store, named 'Art of Play,' has since responded with a statement. However, it would appear that Clarkson doesn't agree with the business's account of the events. Clarkson posted a response to the statement on X on Sunday, October 11.
"Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn't for sale," Clarkson wrote. "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, but you're also a liar. Got it."
Clarkson wrapped up her post by noting, "Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren't."
What Did 'Art of Play' Say About Kelly Clarkson in Its Statement?
As you can imagine, 'Art of Play' found itself at the center of a social media storm this weekend. Clarkson has over 8 million followers on X alone. Furthermore, the virality of her post meant it quickly spread across the wider social media sphere.
In its initial Sunday statement, Art of Play said Clarkson had asked to purchase a mechanical bird named Molly, which the store said was permanently attached to the wall and not for sale.
On Monday, October 12, the store issued another statement clarifying the $15,000 price mentioned by Clarkson.
"During the 5 minutes she spent in the store, she inquired about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly," the statement said. "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.
"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."
The dispute between Clarkson, her fans, and 'Art of Play' is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Both sides seem to be recalling different interactions. For the rest of us, all we can do is watch and see how it all plays out.
Hopefully, this all ends in a fair and amicable resolution.
