Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Pretty Woman’ store incident has an unusual follow-up
The Brooklyn shop seemed to answer the singer's viral post with a subtle Instagram story that it quickly deleted.
Kelly Clarkson has accused a Brooklyn specialty shop of treating her like she couldn’t afford to buy anything, comparing the incident to a famous scene from the movie Pretty Woman.
The singer and former talk show host shared the story in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, October 10, after a shopping trip went wrong.
What Kelly Clarkson said
Clarkson wrote that she drove to a store she identified as “Art of Play in Brooklyn” with plans to make a purchase. “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 said in the post, according to multiple outlets.
She added, “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.”
In a follow-up message, Clarkson made the direct comparison to the 1990 Julia Roberts film. “But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman,” she wrote. “For sure, check it out.”
The store’s quiet reply
Following Clarkson’s posts, fans reportedly left a wave of negative reviews on the Google listing for Art of Play, a shop described as selling curiosities, puzzles, and games.
The store seemed to respond indirectly to the controversy. According to Us Weekly, Art of Play posted and then deleted a customer’s positive review on its Instagram Story. The review praised the staff’s “genuine kindness” and how they made the customer feel “welcomed.”
“From the very first time I walked into @artofplay, I felt welcomed and treated with such genuine kindness,” the customer’s review read. “I love discovering unique treasures and connecting with the wonderful people there.” Page Six reported that when it reached out for a statement, the store declined to comment.
How fans reacted
Fans on social media expressed disbelief over the incident. “You mean to tell me the guy in the store didn’t know who Kelly Clarkson is?!” one person wrote, as reported by Just Jared. Another commented, “If I was a salesperson and saw you come in the store, I would roll out ‘the red carpet’ treatment.”
The experience is reminiscent of a 2013 event where Oprah Winfrey said a shop assistant in Zurich, Switzerland, refused to show her a $38,000 handbag, allegedly telling her it was too expensive for her. The store later cited a language barrier for the misunderstanding.
Clarkson moved to New York City in 2023 with her two children. Her daytime talk series, The Kelly Clarkson Show, concluded its seven-season run in August 2026.
