The Sharper Image: Creating Better Desires

During the 1980s, The Sharper Image bumped along, achieving moderate success and decent growth with some 70 retail stores and close to $200 million in sales. Thalheimer’s dilemma was a cut-throat retail climate where proprietary products were being knocked-off. In the words of GAP alumnus Tony Farrell, senior vice president of creative services for The Sharper Image, “The core business, consumer electronics, migrated into warehouse discounters as margins shrank. Suddenly our core business category was not sustainable.”