Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn shop called Art of Play treated her like she couldn’t afford anything inside, and she didn’t keep it to herself. She posted about the experience, compared it to Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, and pointed her 8.8 million followers toward the store if that’s the kind of treatment they enjoy. For a small business, that’s not a review. That’s a weather event.
Art of Play responded on X with its own version of the story. According to the store, Clarkson asked to buy“Molly,”a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton that is permanently attached to the wall and not for sale. They apologized for her negative experience, said all visitors are equally welcome, and described the surreal feeling of being“suddenly attacked by 8 million people”after one celebrity mention. One commenter told the store they were an idiot and just lost a huge sale, which is tough logic for an item that cannot be sold.
There’s one more wrinkle that has people talking: the store reportedly posted positive reviews about staff kindness, then deleted them before issuing its response. So now there are two competing narratives, a pile-on in both directions, and one mechanical bird at the center of it all. Was it a misunderstanding, a bad attitude, or both? And honestly, would you have handled that“not for sale”news any better?
What’s your read on this one? Sound off in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.