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Kelly ClarksonThe viral controversy with Brooklyn curiosity shop Art of Play is no longer just about a $15,000 mechanical bird.
Industry expert Jay Aldebert tells The Blast that the controversy raises a broader question about what happens when a large audience of celebrities hits a small business that doesn’t have anywhere near the same reach.
Clarkson has stood by her accusation that she was treated nicely during a short visit, while Art of Play maintains that the meeting was misunderstood and says that they have tried to contact her directly.
Business expert raises concerns about ‘power imbalance’
Jay Aldebert, Chief Growth Officer at International Services Inc., told The Blast that his concern is not whether Clarkson had a right to complain, but whether the store’s public name was influencing him far beyond the initial interaction.
“My concern is the imbalance of power. Kelly Clarkson deserves to be served with dignity, just like anyone else. But someone with an enormous platform should stop before naming a small business publicly because of a controversial interaction,” he said.
He said that the main question should come before the posts of a famous person.
“Am I trying to solve this problem, or am I bringing this business to a much greater punishment than it itself happened?” asked Alasdair.
Kelly Clarkson’s complaint quickly became more than a visit to the store
The controversy began after Clarkson visited Art of Play in Brooklyn on October 10 and said an employee made her feel like she couldn’t pay what she wanted.
As previously reported by The Blast, Clarkson compared the incident to Julia Roberts’ shop scene in “Pretty Woman” and called it Art of Play.
Clarkson’s protest quickly spread as her post surpassed 39 million views. It also caused a wave of one-star reviews and angry comments aimed at the industry.
Art of Play later said that his little work had suddenly been aimed at people who had never visited.
“I’m not questioning her right to press charges,” Aldebert said. “I question whether the response was adequate.”
Art Of Play offers a new interpretation for the $15,000 bird
Clarkson said the mechanical songbird was likely priced at $15,000 and said an employee spoke to her kindly before offering to find something comparable.
Art of Play initially said the bird, called Molly, was permanently attached to the wall and was not for sale. Clarkson then accused the store of dishonesty and repeated that she was told it was available for $15,000.
The source later offered a more detailed explanation, claiming that Clarkson spent about five minutes inside.
According to the store, Molly was not for sale, but the creator, Seattle artist Bliss Kolb, who had an almost identical automaton was willing to sell it for $15,000.
The store also said they offered Clarkson another songbird at a price of about $2,000, but she said it left before she saw it.
More From The Blast
Review Bombing Showcases Small Business Promises
According to reports, Art of Play’s Yelp page was flooded with negative reviews after Clarkson’s post, including comments from people reacting to the controversy rather than describing their own shopping experiences.
Yelp’s policy addresses that phenomenon. The platform says it can send an “Unusual Activity Alert” to a business when a surge of reviews appears to be driven by a news event instead of personal customer experiences.
However, that does not confirm whether Clarkson or Art of Play gave the more detailed account. Instead, it shows why the reach of celebrities can increase the impact of a protest.
“Having a bigger microphone means thinking harder about the consequences of using it,” said Aldebert in his conversation with The Blast.
Art Of Play says it wants to clear the air with Kelly Clarkson
At the same time, neither side has retracted their version of events. Clarkson has stressed that supporting small businesses does not mean accepting what she believes was disrespectful treatment, while Art of Play has described the program as a misunderstanding.
The source said in their latest statement that they had contacted Clarkson directly in hopes of clearing the air and finally being able to laugh about what happened.
Aldebert’s argument is not that celebrities should remain silent when they believe they have been mistreated.
Instead, he says the size of the response matters when one party can send millions of people to the other instantly.
An incident that started as a brief disagreement about a mechanical bird has suddenly become a debate about customer service, online reputation and the impact of unequal influence.
