In an eyebrow-raising move, New York City shop Art of Play announced a new price tag for the one-of-a-kind item at the center of its feud with Kelly Clarkson.
While speaking to USA Today, co-owner of Art of Play, Adam Rubin, discussed the ongoing controversy between the shop and Clarkson after the American Idol alum claimed she was treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman. (The scene in question sees the owner of a fancy store rudely assume Roberts’ character couldn’t afford an item.)
He claimed that not only has the shop experienced harassment through phone calls and emails, but its neighbors have also been doxxed.
“We are afraid for the safety of our shopkeepers,” Rubin stated. “Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger.”
Despite the circumstances, Rubin said sales have surged, and foot traffic at the shop has spiked. He then revealed that the item Clarkson initially wanted, a yellow wooden bird, is now available for $15 million. This came after the shop announced the item was not for sale because it was “permanently attached to the wall,” even though Clarkson pointed out it had a $15,000 price tag.
“This has been a very surreal experience,” Rubin explained.
He pointed out that no one in the shop recognized Clarkson when she visited because the shop was “packed” and she was there for “less than five minutes.”
“We treated her like a normal person, but apparently that did not live up to her expectations,” Rubin continued. “Nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out, but I could let that go. Everybody has a bad day.”
However, he noted that things “changed” when Clarkson used her platform to “attack” the shop. “It’s asymmetrical social warfare.”
Regarding the price tag next to the bird, known as Molly, Rubin said it wasn’t the item’s actual price. Instead, the tag reflected what it would cost Molly’s creator, Seattle artist Bliss Kolb, to make a custom bird.
“We have our automaton,” he shared. “So many people asked about it that we put a price on it. We talked to the creator, and if someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton.”
Rubin further explained that the automatons take “years to make” and are not “something that’s sitting in a warehouse.”
With all the attention Molly was receiving, Rubin decided to list it for sale. He told the media outlet that if someone actually bought the automaton, he would give his employees $15,000 each and the creator $1 million. He would then use the rest of the money to buy more automatons.