The Feud and the $15 Million Price Tag
A Brooklyn novelty shop, Art of Play, initially said its mechanical bird, Molly, was not for sale after an incident involving Kelly Clarkson. But on Tuesday, the store changed its position and announced that Molly could be purchased for $15 million. Adam Rubin, one of the shop's co-owners, confirmed the price outside the Atlantic Avenue store. Rubin declined to comment on Wednesday, and Clarkson did not respond to multiple requests for comment.[S1][S2][S4][S7]
The conflict began over the weekend when Clarkson posted on social media about what she called a distasteful experience at the Brooklyn store. She said she drove all the way to Brooklyn to visit Art of Play and was shooed away when she asked about buying Molly, as if she could not afford the bird. She compared the treatment to the character played by Julia Roberts in the film Pretty Woman and encouraged others to visit the shop if they enjoyed being treated that way.[S1]
In a Sunday social media post of its own, Art of Play pushed back, stating that Clarkson had inquired about purchasing Molly but that the bird could not be sold because it is permanently mounted on a wall. The shop maintained it informed her Molly was unavailable. Clarkson answered with another Sunday post, calling that simply the version of events the store would present. She said she had asked if Molly was for sale while indicating a nearby tag that seemed to show a price, and was quoted $15,000 for Molly, with the store offering to locate a similar item for less. A photo of the alleged price tag spread online and appeared in her second post.[S1]
Art of Play issued a second post on Monday to add further clarification about Clarkson's stop at the shop. The store said her visit lasted just five minutes, and that when she inquired about Molly, an employee told her that particular bird was not available for purchase, though a nearly identical automaton belongs to the machines' creator, Seattle-based artist Bliss Kolb. Kolb has not replied to several NBC News requests for comment. The employee said Kolb had indicated he would sell Molly's twin for $15,000, and that this was conveyed to Clarkson. The shop added that it offered to show her a $2,000 bird she could take home that day, but she left before seeing it.[S1]
Store Owner Speaks Out on Threats and Abuse
The episode has brought Art of Play considerable publicity. Journalist Pablo Torre got hold of surveillance footage showing Clarkson inside the store, and another creator known as Sober Facts charged the shop with racial profiling. In response, Rubin assembled reporters on Tuesday morning to clarify matters. Per a condensed transcript of the informal news conference that Curbed published, Rubin characterized the situation as a crazy misunderstanding and asymmetrical social warfare. He further claimed Clarkson berated the shopkeeper as she exited.[S1][S3][S6]
Pressed on whether the shopkeeper had told Clarkson that Molly was not for sale, Rubin dodged the question twice. He said that absent the tweetstorm, the store would never have known a negative interaction had occurred in the shop, calling it that uneventful. He added that they had treated her like anyone else, yet that apparently fell short of what she expected. Rubin noted that the artist, Kolb, spends years making these unique birds, so acquiring one is not simple. He compared it to a sculpture or fine-art piece rather than something kept in a warehouse. Given Molly's newfound attention, Rubin said he would now sell the bird for $15 million.[S1]
Even with Molly's brief moment in the spotlight, Art of Play said it has faced trolling. Media crews have been stationed outside, and the shop's friends and neighbors are being targeted and doxed, according to Rubin. He said Kelly Clarkson has endangered them, noting that people are being threatened in the street. The store has switched off its phone because of the surge in calls, yet comments continue pouring onto its social media pages, making it hard for genuine customers to reach them. Rubin stressed that no one who has actually set foot in the store sides with Clarkson.[S1][S5][S8]
Clarkson serves as a coach on NBC's The Voice and previously hosted The Kelly Clarkson Show, which also ran on that network. NBC operates as a division of NBCUniversal, the same parent company that owns NBC News.[S1]
