A boutique store called Art of Play in Brooklyn has found itself at the centre of a social media storm, after Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson complained that they would not let her buy a singing and dancing mechanical bird that was on the wall.

The Since U Been Gone singer claimed she was "looked at as if I couldn't afford" the bird – which she said had a price tag of $15,000 (£11,000).

Art of Play has defended how it treated the star, saying the wooden bird is permanently attached to the wall and is not for sale.

It said that during Clarkson's five-minute visit on Saturday, an employee suggested to her that she could buy an identical bird for $15,000.