Kelly Clarkson's interaction with Brooklyn store owner seen in new footage
Kelly Clarkson's controversial visit to a Brooklyn store has been captured on camera, with new footage showing her interaction with staff.
The 'Since U Been Gone' singer has been at the centre of a very public war of words with a New York retailer called Art of Play, after accusing employees of treating her as though she couldn't afford an item she wanted to buy.
For those out of the loop, the drama began on Saturday (10 Oct) when Clarkson, 44, took to X to share her alleged experience at the store, which seels an unusual array of toys and objects.
The musician claimed she had travelled to the store because she liked its products and had several things in mind to purchase.
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However, she later alleged that staff working at the shop had looked at her as though she couldn't afford an item she was interested in, before offering to find something 'comparable' for her.
"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," she wrote.
Clarkson went on to compare the experience to the iconic scene in Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts' character, Vivian Ward, is treated dismissively by sales assistants in a luxury boutique.
She wrote: "Wow, dude. You're an idiot and just lost a huge sale."
The star then encouraged people to visit the shop if they wanted to experience the same treatment as Roberts' character.
Art of Play subsequently issued a statement disputing her account, setting the stage for an increasingly heated back-and-forth.
Now, newly released security footage offers a fresh look at the encounter, including the moment Clarkson appears to speak with one of the store's owners before gesturing towards him as she heads for the exit.
The major issue is, however, that the footage has no audio, meaning it doesn't reveal exactly what was said during the exchange.
According to PEOPLE, independent journalist Pablo Torre obtained the silent security footage on Tuesday (13 Oct).
The clip lasts four minutes and 50 seconds and shows Clarkson browsing the shop, including picking up what appears to be a kaleidoscope and looking through it.
The 'Mr Know It All' hit-maler is also seen examining a mechanical bird sculpture known as Molly before speaking briefly with a shop employee whom Torre identified as one of the owners.
For reference, Molly is a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton created by artist Bliss Kolb.
Art of Play has maintained that she is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a mascot for the shop, as well as playing a role in magic shows hosted at the venue.
In its statement, the business claimed it explained that Kolb owned an almost identical automaton which could be purchased for $15,000.
Following their interaction, the employee appears to point Clarkson towards another item, a different mechanical bird, priced at $2,000.
According to the store, however, she left before viewing the alternative.
"During the five minutes she spent in the store, she inquired about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly," a spokesperson said in a statement. "We explained that Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop."
The footage later shows the singer walking towards the shop's front exit before turning around and gesturing towards the owner, while two other employees look on.
External camera footage also captures Clarkson taking out her phone as she leaves the premises.
PEOPLE reports that Clarkson's original post about the incident appeared just 15 minutes after the footage shows her exiting the shop.
Art of Play later claimed that the star's public criticism lead to '8 million people attacking them', saying: "Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store.
"It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity."
She subsequently challenged the store's version of events, however, sharing a photograph of a $15,000 price tag and insisting that the conversation had taken place as she described.
"Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale," Clarkson wrote on her Instagram Stories in response.
"That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with — 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 as you elevator-eyed me saying in a condescending tone, 'Yes, it’s for sale, but it costs $15,000, so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can'.
"That all never happened, and now it’s not for sale."
Clarkson accused staff working at the store of being 'rude' and a 'liar', while stressing that supporting small businesses did not give anyone a pass to treat customers badly.
"You don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business," she continued. "Your store is really cool unfortunately you aren't."
Art of Play has said it reached out to the singer in an attempt to clear the air, describing the situation as a misunderstanding.
The controversy has also taken a rather unexpected turn, with co-owner Adam Rubin telling New York Magazine that the shop had raised Molly's supposed price to a tongue-in-cheek $15 million following the sudden surge in interest.
"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 said.
"As you’ve noticed, we’ve raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million.”
For now, the newly surfaced footage provides another glimpse into the encounter that sparked the row, but it doesn't settle the disagreement over what was actually said.
Some onlookers to the disagreement have taken a neutral stance.
"I am neither rich nor famous, but I know the 'look' to which Kelly Clarkson referred, and while I do think that in the end it was just a misunderstanding, I can understand Kelly's reaction to how she perceived the treatment she got from the store staff," one Internet user wrote.
"I think they did give her that "look" and as a resullt the explanation of the mechanical bird not being for sale came off as 'you couldn't afford that'. I have been in similar situations when browsing through high-end stores. The clerks failed to read the room and Clarkson took it the wrong way.
"So it was just a misunderstanding and their was right and wrong on both sides. At least that's how I see it."
Others, meanwhile, are sticking up for the singer.
"If you are mistreated in a store, I would hope that you would call them on it," one wrote. "Kelly is an extremely friendly and kind person. The remarks with the extra information from the store only shows that they should have apologised , period."
And a third group of spectators are siding with the store.
"My first inclination was to totally believe Kelly, and I think part of that is because I’ve been overlooked and judged in a store before," another wrote online. "The more I read, though, the more it sounds like the shop owner’s story is correct.
"The bird is obviously bolted to the wall. It sounds to me like maybe the shop owner was pretentious and maybe Kelly took exception to that, but I think maybe she just got mad and stormed out and then immediately left a horrible post about it.
"I have left bad reviews before, but I would never post on social media about a small business. Even if I did, nobody would care."
The same user continued: "When Kelly Clarkson posts a story like this, it can destroy a business. I’m starting to think she completely overreacted and I think she’s starting to look like a bully."
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Entertainment
Rhianna Benson