{"id":799935,"date":"2026-10-12T07:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/799935\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T07:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:16:12","slug":"new-york-shop-says-kelly-clarkson-tried-to-buy-item-not-for-sale-and-defends-itself-after-8-million-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/799935\/","title":{"rendered":"New York shop says Kelly Clarkson tried to buy item not for sale and defends itself after \u20188 million\u2019 attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The New York toy store<\/a> that Kelly Clarkson claimed treated her like Julia Roberts\u2019 character in Pretty Woman<\/a> has responded to her criticism \u2014 and it seems there\u2019s more to the story than the star first shared. <\/p>\n

On Friday, the 44-year-old singer and former talk show host<\/a> took to social media to claim that she was treated poorly by staff at Art of Play.<\/p>\n

The shop has now replied with a lengthy statement posted to their Instagram<\/a>. \u201cYesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying \u2018Molly,\u2019 a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,\u201d wrote staff. <\/p>\n

\u201cMolly is permanently attached to the wall and isn\u2019t for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement went on to acknowledge that they understand Clarkson had a bad time at the shop, saying: \u201cHowever, the negative experience Kelly described on Twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA New York toy shop has responded to online comments by Kelly Clarkson, saying she tried to buy an item that wasn\u2019t for sale (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After explaining that they encourage visitors to \u201cpick things up and play\u201d when visiting the shop, the statement went on to describe the fallout that Clarkson\u2019s social media comments caused.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store,\u201d they said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement concluded with a note of thanks to \u201call our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama.\u201d They added that they hope they can \u201cclear things up with Kelly someday\u201d and made a reference to the \u201ctalented popular\u201d singer\u2019s 2011 hit: \u201cWhat doesn\u2019t kill you makes you stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

The social media pile-on came after Clarkson\u2019s original post on X,<\/a> which read: \u201cJust 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\u2019t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cWow, dude. You\u2019re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y\u2019all 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.\u201d She concluded her message with a \u201cthumbs down\u201d emoji.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Clarkson surprised fans when she revealed she is \u201cobsessed\u201d with using AI<\/a> and supports the use of it for creative purposes.<\/a><\/p>\n