Art of Play Owner Says Kelly Clarkson ‘Put Us in Danger’ Amid Threatening Messages
Kelly Clarkson sparked a viral conversation after clashing with the Art of Play specialty store in Brooklyn. Clarkson claimed that the store refused to sell her a bird automaton, and compared the experience to Pretty Woman. The store owner has recently come forward to say that Clarkson has opened them up to threats because of her complaints.
Kelly Clarkson is clashing with the Art of Play in Brooklyn
Clarkson recently made a post about her inability to purchase a bird automaton at the store.
“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. “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,” she continued. “For sure, check it out.”
The store then claimed that the bird, who is named Molly, was not for sale.
“We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle,” the statement read. “He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson.”
Clarkson later shared a picture of a $15,000 price tag, seemingly indicating that the bird was for sale.
The owner of Art of Play criticized Kelly Clarkson
One of the co-owners of Art of Play, Adam Rubin, recently gave an interview about the feud with Clarkson.
“This is an insane misunderstanding,” he told Curbed. “Nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out, but I can let that go. You know, everybody has a bad day. But things changed when she used her platform to attack us. It’s asymmetrical social warfare.”
He claimed that the interaction was so “undramatic” that they didn’t realize there was a problem until she posted about it. He also said that they are now facing calls, emails, and review bombing.
“Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger,” he said. “People are getting threatened on the street, and the worst part is we didn’t know this was going to happen, but Kelly Clarkson did. Anyone who expresses admiration, positivity, or sympathy for Art of Play is getting attacked by trolls. People were coming by almost entirely in support. On Monday, when we were closed, people were bringing pastries and cupcakes, according to the press that was staked out here. But our friends are getting attacked, and our fans are getting attacked. We’re concerned on behalf of our shopkeepers.
The bird automaton now costs $15 million.
