Kelly Clarkson just thrust a small Brooklyn boutique into the limelight, and not in a good way.
Art of Play, a high-end novelty shop offering playing cards, puzzles, games, and “playful decor,” apparently caught the singer’s attention. In a social media post that’s since been viewed 44 million times, Clarkson said she thought the store “looked really rad,” but upon entering Art of Play in hopes of buying a certain item, she claims she “literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it.”
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” Clarkson wrote. “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 👎”
Clarkson’s Pretty Woman reference implies that Art of Play made a big mistake (big, huge) by losing her patronage. But as her ensuing online back-and-forth with the shop proves, the situation isn’t so simple.
A singing bird, a price tag, and a social media battle
The day after Clarkson’s post went viral, Art of Play responded on its Instagram page, saying that the item she wanted to purchase is a singing and dancing bird automaton named Molly. Art of Play claimed Molly “is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale,” which is why Clarkson was denied buying it.
“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,” the post continued.
“We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday,” it concluded. “As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’”
Despite the store’s apparent intention to “clear things up,” they only got more muddled when Clarkson took to social media once again. In a follow-up post, she shared an image of a price tag posted on the wall next to Molly, which listed the automaton for $15,000.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” Clarkson wrote, claiming that the salesperson she interacted with didn’t say the bird wasn’t for sale, but told her it was too expensive for her. “So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar,” she wrote.
“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,” Clarkson continued. “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.”
Art of Play again responded on Instagram with the final update so far, insisting that Molly isn’t for sale, but that they explained to Clarkson during her visit that she could purchase a nearly identical model for $15,000, or they could show her similar automaton for $2,000. According to the store, “She did not stick around long enough to see it.”
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air,” the post concluded. “We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”
The power of celebrity
Regardless of if you’re Team Kelly or Team Art of Play, the feud has kickstarted discourse across social media and earned the store increased attention on review sites like Yelp. Not all that attention is for the best, though, as Clarkson’s fans are flooding the site with negative reviews, bringing its star rating down to 2.9.
“Why does the bird have a price tag if it wasn’t for sale?????????” reads one one-star review. “I smell LIES from ur business establishment.”
“Be nice to EVERYONE. Don’t make assumptions on what someone can afford,” scolds another reviewer. “Big mistake treating Kelly Clarkson like a street person.”
Other reviewers came to the shop’s defense, leaving five-star reviews and admonishments of the review-bombers.
“Not everything there is for sale, regardless of how famous you are,” one reviewer wrote. “Go write a song about it. Stop using your online influence to sh*t on a brick and mortar shop that’s as dope as Art of Play.”
“So a celebrity walks in to a small privately owned business. She doesn’t get exactly what she wants so she cops an attitude and trashes said small business,” reads another. “Even if you weren’t lying, you still did the morally wrong thing.”
Art of Play’s Yelp page currently displays a disclaimer that the business “is being monitored by Yelp’s Support team for content related to media reports.”