The Brooklyn store Art of Play released another statement on their viral “misunderstanding” with Kelly Clarkson after being branded a “liar.”
The company’s team wrote via Instagram early Monday morning that they wanted to “clarify one additional detail” about the singer’s “five-minute” visit to the curiosity shop asking about Molly, a mechanical bird puppet.
“We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle,” the statement read.
“He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson,” they continued, claiming they “offered to show her a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day” for $2,000.
The singer, per the statement, “did not stick around long enough to see” the item.
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air,” the social media upload concluded. “We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”
Clarkson’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The Grammy winner, 44, initially called out the Brooklyn Heights store on X on Saturday, comparing her experience to Julia Roberts’ character Vivian Ward in “Pretty Woman.”
The songwriter wrote, “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.”
Dubbing an employee an “idiot,” she wrote, “Wow, dude. You … just lost a huge sale.”
After sharing — and deleting — positive customer reviews, the store fired back with a statement insisting Clarkson wanted to purchase something that wasn’t for sale.
“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,” Sunday’s statement read. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall.”
Mentioning the “widespread outrage” they’d experienced online as Clarkson’s fans “suddenly attacked” them, they wrote, “We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’”
The “Voice” coach subsequently blasted the establishment’s “narrative.”
She tweeted, “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.
Clarkson alleged an associate “elevator-eyed” her and said “in a condescending tone” that the item cost $15,000.
“That all never happened and now it’s not for sale,” she concluded. “Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”
