As the saga of Kelly Clarkson, a small business and a bird continues, a post from Brooklyn shop Art of Play has resurfaced that is quite apropos in hindsight. The feud in question was partially about whether or not an automaton bird was for sale or not for sale when Ms. Clarkson entered the store, and Molly (the bird in question) was actually used in a Not For Sale post weeks prior to the incident. You can’t make this stuff up.
To recap, the “Since U Been Gone” singer seemingly inquired about buying a $15,000 automaton bird named Molly from the novelty store in question. She later went online to say she did not appreciate it when a seller claimed the item was not for sale and tried to get her to buy a comparable (but cheaper) bird (which Pablo Torre ultimately bought). The situation escalated with both parties taking sides, and speaking online about the incident.
If you’ve been paying attention, Clarkson and this store have been in quite the feud over the semantics of what happened and what didn’t. However, weeks before all this began, Art of Play posted on Instagram about what is not for sale in their shop, and just take a look at the item featured in the first image:
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As you can see, that appears to be Molly, the pricey bird that’s fastened to the wall in Art of Play. People who saw the post clocked it too, commenting things like:
Is that THE Molly?
It seems to be! In the following slides, the carousel highlights “a few of our favorites that aren’t” for sale. Notably, the “items” are intangible things you literally can’t buy. They’re actions like “solving a puzzle,” “peering into infinity,” “discovering the unexpected.” Overall, this was done in preparation for Labor Day and to highlight the fact the store has stopped having sales. In the last slide, all this is explained:
Last year, we made a promise to stop having sales. We believe in creating value through generosity rather than diminishing it through discounts. So this Labor Day weekend, we invite you to visit our Curiosity Shop. Solve a puzzle. Peer into infinity. Discover the unexpected. While the objects on our shelves have a price, what happens when you play with them is free.
So, yeah, it’s about Labor Day, which means it went up several weeks before the Daytime TV host entered the store. The story was also pinned to the store’s Instagram, and the timeliness of the bird being tied to the idea of “not for sale” ahead of the incident between Kelly Clarkson, Art of Play, and its semi-famous owner Adam Rubin, is hard to deny.
That’s especially true since this whole situation continues playing out, and conversations about how the “hatred continues” between the two parties are still happening. Reba McEntire even got looped into it. Plus, it’s been reported that this brouhaha is impacting the neighbors of the Art of Play who supported the Brooklyn-based store.
Considering this whole situation surrounding Molly the bird, it is notable that Art of Play seemingly used the automaton to promote things one can’t buy in their store long before Clarkson wanted to buy the item. Though it’s worth noting Molly is back for sale– now for the whopping price of $15 million dollars.
