Store owner at centre of Kelly Clarkson row claims windup bird 'now costs $15 million' due to popular demand
The store owner who found himself at the centre of a media storm over Kelly Clarkson’s claims she was treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman said all the interest means the item she wanted to buy is now worth $15 million.
Last Friday (9 October), Clarkson took to social media to blast Brooklyn-based Art of Play claiming the staff treated her poorly and that she was ‘looked at as if [she] couldn’t afford’ to buy an item.
She compared the situation to the scene in Pretty Woman where Vivian, played by Roberts, goes shopping on swanky Rodeo Drive and encounters snobby shop assistants.
Clarkson continued: “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.
Advert
“But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out.”
However, Art of Play then shared a statement disputing Clarkson’s version of events, claiming the American Idol winner had inquired about buying a ‘one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton’ called Molly that isn’t for sale.
The company said: “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.
“Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale.”
Clarkson then responded to those claims, branding the store owner a ‘liar’ and saying that he had said in a ‘a condescending tone’ that the item was for sale but that it cost $15,000 before offering to find ‘something comparable’ instead.
In a new interview with Page Six, Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin said the incident has prompted ‘hundreds’ of threatening messages towards his staff.
“It’s a pop star, a mechanical bird, it’s surreal. When this thing first started, everybody wanted us to die,” he told the publication.
“And as the truth has come to light, thinking people realise this is reprehensible abuse of power.
“We have to reconsider the place we give celebrities in our society.”
He continued: “It’s been so intense — thousands of hateful phone calls, thousands of hateful text messages, Kelly Clarkson fans demanding we issue her an apology, and it’s just such a perverse distortion of reality, that anyone could look at the situation and think that we are the ones who owe an apology."
However, it hasn’t all been negative with Rubin telling New York magazine that the interest in little Molly means Art of Play has raised the price ‘due to popular demand’.
“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," he explained when asked why Molly had a price tag despite not being for sale.
"As you’ve noticed, we’ve raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million."
Rubin also insisted that he would not be apologising to Clarkson over the situation and instead claimed that it’s the singer and TV host who should be ‘held accountable’ for her actions.
However, he did say that despite all that’s gone on, Clarkson is still welcome in his store.
Claire Reid