Pablo Torre promised us security footage from Kelly Clarkson’s now-viral visit to Art of Play in Brooklyn. Well, we did get the video on Tuesday night, but no audio — bummer.
The OG American Idol was in the toy store for exactly four minutes, 50 seconds. What we could see of the brief visit does not bode well for the Stronger singer.
For most of her time in the shop, Clarkson can be seen playing around with what appears to be a kaleidoscope near the shop’s entrance. Her interaction with the Art of Play owner was relatively brief. She does appear to inquire with the shop owner about “Molly,” the automaton bird mounted to the wall. After a short conversation, Clarkson walks away from the man to another part of the shop. The store owner appears to attempt to regain her attention, pointing to what appears to be another product on an adjacent wall. She does not appear to respond, and the Art of Play owner moves on to assist another customer.
On her way out of the store, Clarkson appears to share strong feelings toward a second man, who is working the cash register. She’d share those same strong feelings on social media exactly 15 minutes after her exit.
“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 👎”
The “comparable” product was a pair of other automaton birds made by a German clockmaker. It cost $2,000. Torre purchased it, unveiled it on his show, and said he would auction it off.
In response to Clarkson’s initial post, The Art of Play owner said his “small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store.”
“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,” Art of Play posted. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on Twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.
“At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome. We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to ‘pick things up and play.’ And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys.”
Clarkson and Art of Play (and the rest of X, fka Twitter) went back and forth from there, which led Torre to take up the cause.