Kelly Clarkson is feuding with a local Brooklyn “curiosity shop,” a sentence we truly didn’t expect to write on a random Monday in October, but here we are. The drama kicked off over the weekend, when Kelly hopped on Twitter and called out the store, explaining that she'd driven into Brooklyn and was treated rudely, before comparing the situation to THE classic Julia Roberts’ scene in Pretty Woman ("BIG MISTAKE, HUGE," you know the one).
“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,” Kelly 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.”
After a lot of discourse (some people were upset on Kelly's behalf, others felt like she shouldn't be publicly calling out a small business), Art of Play released a statement on their Instagram and claimed that the item Kelly wanted (a bird figurine) wasn't for sale.
They also wrote, “Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity. Thanks to all our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama. 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.’”
Cut back to Kelly, who wasn't having it.
She once again logged on, claiming the bird she wanted *was* for sale, while quipping “you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar.” Kelly then defended herself against people calling her out for coming after small businesses, writing “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.”
But Art of Play also wasn't done! They hopped back on Instagram to “clarify one additional detail,” saying they explained to Kelly that the item she wanted was for sale elsewhere, and noting that they offered her a different/similar bird “made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany” but “she did not stick around long enough to see it.”
They ended their second statement with, “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.”
Honestly, this reminds me of Demi Lovato vs. the frozen yogurt shop. Take me back!