Art of Play, a curiosity shop in Brooklyn Heights, posted a follow-up statement early Monday defending itself against accusations that it lied to singer Kelly Clarkson during a visit to the store, after she branded an employee a “liar” over the weekend.
The dispute began Saturday when Clarkson, 44, wrote on X that she had driven to Brooklyn to visit the shop after hearing good things about it, only to feel she was judged by an employee who assumed she could not afford an item. “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, calling the employee an “idiot” and adding, “Wow, dude. You … just lost a huge sale.”
Clarkson’s interest centered on “Molly,” a mechanical singing and dancing bird puppet used in magic shows the store hosts. Art of Play responded Sunday saying Molly is “permanently attached to the wall” and is not for sale, and referenced “widespread outrage” it said it faced online after Clarkson’s fans “suddenly attacked” the business. The store added, “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.'”
Clarkson disputed that account, saying she had pointed to a price tag reading “Singing Bird” on the wall and asked directly if it was for sale. She said an associate “elevator-eyed” her and quoted a price of $15,000 in “a condescending tone.” “That all never happened and now it’s not for sale,” she wrote. “Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”
In Monday’s statement, posted to Instagram, Art of Play said it wanted to “clarify one additional detail.” The shop said it had explained to Clarkson that while Molly herself is fixed to the wall and serves as the store’s mascot, a nearly identical automaton exists and is owned by its creator, Seattle-based artist Bliss Kolb, who the store said would be willing to sell it for $15,000.
The store also said it offered to show Clarkson a separate singing bird automaton made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, priced at $2,000, which it said she could have taken home that day. According to the statement, Clarkson “did not stick around long enough to see” that item.
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air,” the store wrote. “We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”
A representative for Clarkson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Page Six.
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