- Art of Play's co-owner told Business Insider Kelly Clarkson's post was "like a Molotov cocktail."
- The viral fight placed Adam Rubin's small Brooklyn shop at the center of a massive online drama.
- Rubin says the store got threats online — and hugs from supportive strangers.
Adam Rubin said he wasn't supposed to come into work on Tuesday.
The co-owner of Art of Play — a small Brooklyn-based shop with tarot cards, funky home decor, magic trick books, and a wooden bird named Molly — said he was supposed to get some stitches removed. Instead, he came in to answer questions about Kelly Clarkson's viral social-media complaint.
"It's like she threw a Molotov cocktail at us," Adam Rubin told Business Insider. "And we're just here to pick up the pieces."
On Saturday, Clarkson wrote on X that she had driven to Brooklyn to visit Art of Play and was treated as if she could not afford an item she wanted to buy. She compared the experience to the "Pretty Woman" scene, when Julia Roberts' character is dismissed by salespeople at a luxury store.
Art of Play has an altogether different story.
The store said Clarkson had asked to buy Molly, a one-of-a-kind bird automaton that was not for sale. Clarkson responded by calling the shop liars. On Tuesday, Rubin told USA Today the bird is now for sale for $15 million.
Internet sleuths have been attempting to sort out the drama, largely to no avail. Investigative journalist Pablo Torre is also on the case — an update Rubin declined to comment on.
The back-and-forth has pushed an otherwise sleepy block of Brooklyn into a surprisingly large online drama. Art of Play sits adjacent to a hospital and across from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, in what Rubin called a "Robert Moses-abandoned" stretch of old buildings that had fallen into decay before businesses like his arrived.
On Tuesday, angry Clarkson fans showed up outside the shop, Rubin said.
"It's only a matter of time until a person carrying a Samurai sword and an 'American Idol' T-shirt shows up outside our store," he said.
Several nearby businesses told Business Insider they didn't see the protests. The neighborhood's older residents were largely unaware of the very online drama, they said.
The other businesses said the controversy only came up in conversations with people who worked in the area. They largely talked about the absurdity of their small neck of the woods getting national media attention.
The fight, Rubin said, has gotten ugly online — and he said Clarkson's international stardom plays a big role. Her X post, as of publication, has more than 45 million views, while Art of Play is a local retailer with 172,000 Instagram followers.
"We had no idea what would happen to us," Rubin said. "She did. She's the superstar."
Rubin said the store has received threats and a barrage of online hate. He's also gotten a ton of in-person love, he said, including from frequent customers and strangers who came to visit. A woman he doesn't recognize came by to give him a hug, he said.
The dispute is especially strange for Art of Play, Rubin said, because the business is built around in-person interaction. During Business Insider's visit, he noted that shoppers inside were talking rather than scrolling on their phones.
Rubin said he would welcome Clarkson back, but he said she should expect the same treatment as anyone else who walks in.
"We treated her like any other customer," Rubin said. "She wasn't happy because she wanted to be treated like a star."
Clarkson's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.