Security footage has emerged showing Kelly Clarkson’s visit to a Brooklyn shop at the center of a dispute over a $15,000 mechanical bird.
The video, obtained by Pablo Torres, shows the singer entering Art of Play and browsing items before approaching Molly, a singing and dancing bird automaton that has become the focus of a public disagreement.
The footage has no audio, so it does not reveal what was said during the exchange. In the beginning of the video, Clarkson was seen browsing the store and picking up items.
Soon after, Clarkson saw the bird and spoke with an employee about it. She is seen pointing toward the bird at one point. After the interaction she put items she previously had back on the shelves.
After being in the store for around five minutes, she appeared to gesture animatedly while talking to a worker near the entrance before leaving.
The footage comes after Clarkson criticized the shop on social media over the weekend.
Clarkson Posted on Social Media About the Incident
The “American Idol” winner, 44, said she had traveled to Brooklyn hoping to purchase several items but felt an employee assumed she could not afford what she wanted.
“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.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” she added. “But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman.”
The Store Had a Different Story
The store responded with its own account of the encounter, saying Molly was not available for purchase because the automaton was permanently attached to the wall and used in its magic shows.
“Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,” Art of Play wrote on Instagram. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.”
The business also described the attention surrounding the dispute as overwhelming for a small local store.
Clarkson pushed back against that explanation in a subsequent Instagram Stories post, insisting that the bird had a price tag and that an employee had quoted her a price of $15,000 before offering to find a comparable item.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale,” she wrote sarcastically, before recounting what she said was the conversation with the employee.
“So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” Clarkson added.
She also emphasized that her criticism was not an attack on small businesses generally.
“It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, you aren’t.”
One of the co-owners of the store later came out and stated the shop was receiving a lot of negative calls and emails since this started.
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Kelly Clarkson’s Store Dispute Takes New Turn as Security Footage Is Released – Watch