The Kelly Clarkson magic shop bird drama, explained
Chirp chirp, b*tches

Kelly Clarkson may be a longtime friend of the gays, but as of this weekend, she is not a friend of one Brooklyn magic boutique.
This weekend, Clarkson headed to the Atlantic Ave. curio shop Art of Play to purchase some, you know, magic equipment? In a now-viral post, the singer rails against the store for her perceived poor treatment during a discussion about an expensive mechanical songbird.
On X, she compared her treatment by the salespeople to the infamousPretty Woman scene where Julia Roberts is treated like a common broke peasant.
But was Art of Play really making a big, huge mistake? Strap in, because it’s getting more complicated (and silly) by the minute…
How about we take this to the next level?
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It all began Saturday, when Clarkson took pains to “drive all the way to Brooklyn” to check out Art of Play’s wares. But one item, a complex singing bird automaton named Molly, caught her eye.
The bird, Molly, was designed by a Seattle-based artist for the store. The price tag?
$15,000.
Clarkson, a co-host of The Voice and talk show star, could certainly afford the bird if she so desired—however, Molly was not for sale. According to Art of Play, the interaction didn’t go down exactly as Clarkson described. While the store was open to selling Molly’s “twin,” as well as a much less expensive singing bird, Clarkson “did not stick around long enough” to hear about this option.
But don’t worry, because Clarkson has already responded.
“So the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag…didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone, ‘yes it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable I can.'”
And before you get on your high horse, Clarkson wants you to know it is NOT about trashing small businesses. “I love small businesses and know they are important,” Clarkson noted in her riposte, “but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business.”
The singer’s fans started review-bombing the store. The store got the reviews deleted. Needless to say, it’s a huge mess and the gays are obsessed.
Was Clarkson right to be pissed off? Was Art of Play right to stand ten toes down on their mechanical bird narrative? Has the world gone mad?
In a word, yes!
“Babe wake up there’s new tea about Kelly Clarkson and the Singing Bird at the Brooklyn puppet store,” one commented joked.
“This is me,” someone else commented on Clarkson’s rebuttal, “but on Facebook marketplace arguing over an $8 toaster.”
We may not be in the same position as the diva with $15 grand extra to throw around, but most of us have been Pretty Woman‘ed somewhere along the line, and it’s never fun. Let this be a lesson to automaton-carrying small businesses everywhere: when a woman takes the trouble to drive all the way to Brooklyn with a full wallet and an open heart, you’d better come correct.
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Mark

(@beyoncegarden)