The Sharper Image: Creating Better Desires

Modest Beginnings

In 1977, Thalheimer, then a young office supplies salesman and sometime lawyer, used to jog in San Francisco and keep track of his progress on a wristwatch that had been specially designed for runners. All who jog should have this item, Thalheimer reasoned. So he cut a deal with the manufacturer and had designer Steve Sugar craft a small ad for Runner’s World, using the corporate moniker, The Sharper Image. The rest is history.