Brooklyn Store Attempts To 'Clear The Air' With Kelly Clarkson After She Brands Them 'Liars' For Claiming Mechanical Bird Wasn't For Sale

A Brooklyn shop is in hot water after offending one of the seemingly nicest people in Hollywood, Kelly Clarkson.

The conflict ensued after Clarkson visited Brooklyn boutique Art of Play, where she says she was treated like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman for asking about the price of a mechanical bird.

The store of course denied the incident, and a feud erupted online between the star and the shop's management.

Now, the store is trying to clear the air once and for all... but it's not exactly going how they planned, especially after the owner claimed that Clarkson put him and his staff "in danger."

It all began when Clarkson took to social media to express her disgruntlement with how she says she was treated.

She wrote:

"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..."

"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 shop quickly responded with social media posts of its own, explaining what they say actually happened.

According to them, Clarkson had inquired about an item that was permanently affixed to the wall and was not for sale.

They then acknowledged that the experience Clarkson described "would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop." But they then went on to essentially scold the internet for believing Clarkson and then trying to cancel them in response.

They 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."

No denying that the internet mob pile-on culture is deeply deranged and out of hand. But Art of Play desperately needs a publicist, because this is not the way to handle an uproar if you want to come out unscathed.

Especially when you don't have your story straight. As Clarkson explained in her rebuttal, the "automaton" in question had a price tag affixed to it and she posted a photo proving as such. Seems pretty "for sale" guys!

Clarkson wrote in her response post:

"Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale..."

"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 dollars 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. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅ "

So then Art of Play posted another response on Instagram, saying that they tried to explain that the artist who made the bird has a duplicate and that bird is for sale for $15,000, or they have a similar one for $2000.

But, they said, Clarkson did not stick around long enough to see the other options.

That, as you might guess, did nothing to quell the uproar, even as many people quite rightly questioned the appropriateness of a major star like Clarkson using her platform to criticize a small business.

On one hand, of course, the staff should have handled the interaction better—and their response to Clarkson is every publicist's nightmare.

But on the other hand, a star of Clarkson's wattage and resources knows that their posts are going to ignite an angry internet mob. It's not unreasonable to feel like this is ultimately picking on a little guy, even if deserved.

In any case, that is definitely the narrative Art of Play is not going with. In an exclusive interview with USA Today last night, the store's co-owner angrily insisted that Clarkson was essentially bullying them.

In his defensive response, he claimed that by igniting an angry mob:

"Kelly Clarkson put us in danger."

And you can probably guess how that has gone down: not well at all! Many feel that his defensive, dramatic response means his shop is getting exactly what it deserves.

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The backlash has been especially swift given a particular detail revealed in the USA Today profile: Art of Play has raised the price on the bird that started this whole thing to $15 million due to "popular demand."

Oh brother. The bottom line of this whole story, aside from whatever side of the moral debate you may fall on, was perfectly summarized by one of Art of Play's Instagram commenters, who wrote simply:

"Publicist here: stop speaking.

@thejamesvolpe/Instagram

Yeah, there were myriad ways to win this argument, but clapping back at one of America's perceived sweethearts is not among them.