Brooklyn novelty shop reeling from 'surreal' row with Kelly Clarkson over $15m bird
Art of Play says its staff have been threatened after the singer complained online about how she was treated.
A Brooklyn novelty shop is reeling after a “surreal” dispute with Kelly Clarkson over a $15m bird.
On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, a novelty toy and games store in the quiet Brooklyn neighbourhood of Cobble Hill was drawing far more foot traffic than usual.
Inside, the shop was crowded with cameramen and customers, while passers-by peered in and asked: “Where’s the bird?”
The boutique, Art of Play, has been thrust into the middle of a social media storm after Grammy-winning musician Kelly Clarkson complained online that the shop would not let her buy a singing and dancing mechanical bird perched on the wall.
The Since U Been Gone singer said she was “looked at as if I couldn’t afford” the bird, which she said carried a price tag of $15,000 (£11,000).
“Y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman,” she said, referring to a scene in the romantic comedy in which Roberts’ character is treated badly by shop staff who imply she cannot afford various items.
In a follow-up social media post, Clarkson said the store had told her the bird cost $15,000 and that they could find her something else “comparable”.
Art of Play has defended its treatment of the star on social media, saying the wooden bird — named Molly — is permanently fixed to the wall and is not for sale.
It said that during Clarkson’s five-minute visit, an employee suggested she could buy an identical bird for $15,000.
The shop also said it had offered her a different singing bird for $2,000 from a clockmaking shop in Germany, which she could have bought that day.
“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by eight million people who have never visited our store,” Art of Play said.
“It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”
Clarkson defended her decision to criticise the store on social media, saying: “I never blast people but you my friend were an exception.”
When the BBC visited the store on Wednesday, there were more reporters than customers.
A shopkeeper said they would not comment on the matter any further and just wanted to return to business as usual.
Molly was still hanging on the wall, this time beside a price tag of $15m.
The sign jokes that the sculpture is the “world’s most famous singing bird automata!”
The store’s owner said he and his staff had faced threats and harassment after Clarkson’s complaint, telling the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the singer had endangered them.
This week, a man filmed himself shouting expletives outside the store before accusing its employees of “racially profiling” Clarkson.
The dispute remained in the headlines on Wednesday as a news outlet released surveillance video from Art of Play that it said showed Clarkson’s visit.
The grainy, silent footage shows her wearing a yellow shirt, a baseball cap and a backpack while browsing items, including Molly the bird.
Clarkson can be seen speaking with an employee — apparently about the bird as she points at it — and later heading toward the exit. She then returns to say something animatedly to the cashier.
But while the bird argument has gone viral online, some Art of Play customers had not heard about it before being met by news cameras inside the store.
One customer, who was visiting from out of town to see his daughter, said he was not familiar with the controversy.
For others, Clarkson’s claims that staff treated her rudely came as a surprise.
Kiran Ramineni, who lives next door, described Art of Play as a “very nice small mom and pop store” and said he had seen crowds of journalists there in recent days.
Shopper Emily Trantanella, 27, said: “I feel like a pretty woman and I’ve always been treated very well here.
“I really like it here.”