The latest celebrity retail dispute centers on Molly, a singing, dancing mechanical bird mounted on the wall of a Brooklyn shop. The store says she was never for sale, and Kelly Clarkson has her doubts.
The singer, 44, took to Instagram Stories on Sunday, Ocober 11, to dispute Art of Play’s account of her recent visit. The shop had said the automaton Clarkson asked about is “permanently attached to the wall,” and so was never on the market.
She then gave her own version of events. She said she pointed to a price tag on the wall labeled “Singing Bird” and asked whether the piece was available. According to Clarkson, an employee looked her up and down, confirmed it was for sale, noted it cost $15,000, and offered to find her something comparable. She also posted a grainy photo that appears to show the bird with a tag hanging nearby.
How it started
The dispute began a day earlier, on Saturday, October 10, when Clarkson posted on X about the trip. She said she had driven to Brooklyn with a few purchases in mind, only to be sized up as someone who couldn’t afford them. 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 on Twitter. “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale."
The shop’s side
Art of Play describes itself as a seller of home goods, puzzles, games, toys and books. It responded on Instagram the next day. The shop explained that Molly is a one-of-a-kind piece used in the magic shows it hosts. It said it understood why a story about being judged in a store would strike a nerve and insisted everyone is welcome there. It also said it was dismayed to be flooded with anger from millions of people who had never visited, all after a single celebrity post. “Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store,” the business wrote. “It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”
Clarkson’s closing argument
Clarkson, who moved to New York City in fall 2023, rejected the idea that she was picking on a small business. She noted she had been trying to buy from one. She said small businesses matter to her, but being independent doesn’t excuse treating customers poorly. She added that she rarely calls anyone out publicly and made an exception here.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale,” She 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, 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.”
Her final verdict was mixed: “Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.”