Brooklyn Store Owner Extends an Olive Branch to Kelly Clarkson After Their Public Spat Over a Mechanical Bird

The singer claims she was sized up by staff and steered away from a coveted piece, while the store insists it was all a mix-up. Both sides have since taken their versions of events to social media.

The Brooklyn curiosity store Art of Play, currently embroiled in a war of words with Kelly Clarkson, says it harbors no hard feelings toward the singer. Shop owner Adam Rubin said the door is always open for the star.

Over the weekend, Clarkson, 44, accused the shop of mistreating her after she asked about purchasing an automaton bird named Molly, which carried a $15,000 price tag.

The singer compared her experience to that of Julia Roberts’ “Pretty Woman” character, Vivian, claiming that the salesperson looked at her as if she “couldn’t afford” Molly before offering to find her a “comparable” item.

In response, Art of Play said Molly is a “one-of-a-kind” piece that is permanently fixed to the wall and not for sale. However, in a follow-up statement, the store confirmed that a “nearly identical” automaton is, in fact, available for $15,000.

The catch? Molly’s twin can only be purchased by contacting the artist, who lives in Seattle. The store also claimed it had offered to show the former talk show host a similar piece for $2,000 that she could’ve taken home that day, but said she “did not stick around long enough to see it.”

Clarkson then pushed back against the store’s account of the incident, sharing a photo of a $15,000 price tag on Molly that seemingly confirmed the bird was indeed for sale. “Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” she wrote.

“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,'” she continued.

“That all never happened and now it’s not for sale,” she added sarcastically. “Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”

Asked whether Molly had ever genuinely been for sale, Rubin told New York Magazine on Tuesday, October 13, that the bird is now priced at a staggering $15 million.

“So many people asked about it that we had put a price on it, but we talked to the creator when he came to fix the machine, and if someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton. As you’ve noticed, we’ve raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million,” Rubin said.

He also described the situation as an “insane misunderstanding” and took issue with Clarkson for “scolding [the] shopkeeper on the way out.”

“I can let that go. You know, everybody has a bad day,” he said. “But things changed when she used her platform to attack us. It’s asymmetrical social warfare.”

Independent journalist Pablo Torre shared security footage of Clarkson inside the store on YouTube on October 13. The clip, which shows the singer spent only a few minutes in Art of Play, captures her chatting with a staff member while looking at the bird.

After what appeared to be a brief exchange, the employee was seen pointing in another direction, and Clarkson — who faced another controversy just weeks ago — moved on to view a different item in the store.

Following the interaction, the “Stronger” hitmaker made her way toward the store’s front exit before turning around and gesturing toward the shop owner as two other employees looked on. In exterior camera footage shared by Torre, Clarkson can be seen pulling out her phone as she leaves the store.