Home · Entertainment · Oct 14 archive
Clarkson's Row With Brooklyn Store Owner Escalates
Confirmed
In Short: Kelly Clarkson has accused Brooklyn store Art of Play of treating her poorly during a shopping trip, leading to a heated dispute that has escalated into a safety concern for the store's owners.
On October 10, Clarkson took to X to complain about her experience at the store, alleging she was treated as if she could not afford the items she wanted.
Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin has responded by alleging that the shop has received threatening phone calls and emails, and negative reviews have flooded multiple platforms.
Rubin described the dispute as an 'insane misunderstanding' in an interview with New York magazine, blaming the escalation on Clarkson using her public platform to criticize the shop.
Clarkson, 44, said she had driven to Brooklyn hoping to buy several items but felt she was treated as though she could not afford what she wanted, comparing the encounter to Julia Roberts' character in the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
According to footage released by Pablo Torre, host of the investigative podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, Clarkson entered the shop with her children, browsed items, and spoke briefly with an employee near the bird, known as Molly.
The row began over a $15,000 mechanical bird, but has become a wider debate about customer service, celebrity influence, and online backlash.
Rubin alleged that the shop had received threatening phone calls and emails, while negative reviews flooded multiple platforms, leading to a price hike of a singing and dancing mechanical bird from $15,000 to $15 million.
Rubin told USA Today that the store’s phone and emails have been flooded with threatening messages, and he expressed fear for the safety of his shopkeepers.
Clarkson's posts have resulted in substantial trolling for the shop, and Rubin has fiercely defended his staff, maintaining that in-person patrons have rallied around the store.
The dispute has escalated into a safety concern for the store's owners, with Rubin claiming the fallout has turned genuinely frightening for his team and nearby residents.
What this adds
The row began on October 10 when Clarkson took to X to complain about her experience at the store.
Background
Singer Kelly Clarkson took to X to call out a Brooklyn store, Art of Play, for allegedly treating her poorly during a shopping trip.
What's confirmed
- Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin has also revealed that the advertised price of a singing and dancing mechanical bird has soared from $15,000 to $15 million (£11,000 to £11 million) following the controversy.
- Rubin, one of the three owners of the New York City curiosity shop, described the dispute as an 'insane misunderstanding' in an interview with New York magazine published on Tuesday, 13 October.
- The singer said she had driven to Brooklyn hoping to buy several items but felt she was treated as though she could not afford what she wanted, comparing the encounter to Julia Roberts' character in the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
- Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin speaks to USA Today at his store following Kelly Clarkson’s viral criticism of his store: “Kelly Clarkson put us in danger.” pic.twitter.com/UD1ppJGMcr Rubin alleged that the shop had received threatening phone calls and emails, while negative reviews flooded multiple platforms.
- The Voice coach said she’d stopped by the store wanting to buy a few things and “literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it.” The star said the salesperson offered to find her a comparable item, and she likened her experience to that of Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman, who is treated rudely by a salesperson at a Beverly Hills clothing boutique.
- Several Brooklyn residents told the Daily Mail that they had positive experiences with the owners and staff, while one criticized the impact a celebrity’s enormous following can have on a tiny independent business.
- The store said Molly was permanently attached to the wall and was not for sale, but later clarified that a nearly identical bird owned by its creator, Seattle artist Bliss Kolb, could be purchased for $15,000 (£11,300).
What's still developing
- He blamed the escalation on Clarkson using her public platform to criticise the shop, although his allegations do not establish that the singer personally encouraged anyone to threaten or target the business or its neighbours.
- After the Grammy winner became embroiled in a public war of words with a Brooklyn curiosity shop over her alleged treatment at their store, a source tells PEOPLE that she’s been irked by the situation.
- Clarkson, 44, first wrote of her disappointment with the store Art of Play in a post on X on Oct. 10.
- According to the footage, Clarkson tweeted only 15 minutes after leaving.
- It also said staff offered Clarkson another German-made singing bird costing about $2,000, but she left before seeing it.
- Rubin went further, calling the situation a “reprehensible abuse of power” and arguing that someone with Clarkson’s fame should have anticipated the potential consequences of publicly naming the store.
- Gothamist reported that Rubin had not heard from Clarkson or her representatives as of Tuesday, although he expressed some sympathy for the intensity that comes with her level of fame.
- Rubin explained that Clarkson spent "less than five minutes" inside the crowded shop on a bustling Saturday before angrily scolding an employee on her way out the door.
- The dispute erupted over the weekend after the 42-year-old pop star visited Art of Play, a quirky gift and puzzle shop in Brooklyn.
- According to Curbed, Kelly Clarkson visited Art of Play intending to purchase something but was told it wasn't for sale.
- The International Business Times UK (United Kingdom) reported that the store offered Clarkson a different singing bird priced at about $2,000 (£1,500), but she left before seeing it.
- According to a recent report, fans seemed enraged online after footage from the Brooklyn store showed the singer’s interaction with the shop owner.