Sharper Image up for sale -- amazing mall store offers weightless, ionic iPod-compatible massage

Sure, The Sharper Image is bankrupt, but that's no reason to avoid this once in a lifetime opportunity to buy the company as it goes under. As you're undoubtedly already aware, The Sharper Image invented the idea of ions with the semi-functional Ionic Breeze air purifier, but did you know that it also led the movement to call anything with a stereo minijack "iPod-compatible?" That's history, folks. And now that the board of directors has put the company on the block with the share price down to 23 cents and the goal of selling by the end of next month, you could conceivably be America's next massage-chair kingpin for just $3.6M -- what's to lose? We'll even throw in the disgraced executive team, a $25 value! Operators are standing by!

[Nate @ Apr 24th 2008 3:56PM]

If only I would have known this a few weeks ago, I could have purchased both Hooters and the Sharper Image for mere change and made them into one horribly-gone-wrong suburban nightmare.

[phanbouy @ Apr 24th 2008 3:59PM]

"horribly-gone-wrong suburban nightmare"

that phrase is a bit redundant, eh? =)

[BigD145 @ Apr 24th 2008 4:08PM]

Please let this die quietly. I do not want to see another Sharper Image in my lifetime.

[Matt Peckham @ Apr 24th 2008 4:17PM]

Sadly, this was once the only cool place to look at stuff you wanted for christmas. But the web pretty much slayed this bloated overpriced taiwanese/chinese knock off sporting money pit.

Next: Brookstone. Do we really need an entire store for memory foam pillows, book lights, and gardening tools?

[Murphy Mac @ Apr 24th 2008 8:22PM]

Guys trapped in the mall with wives and girlfriends don't need this store anymore. Or Brookstone. They have the Apple Store, where they can check their email and surf.

[mark @ Apr 24th 2008 4:46PM]

I worked there in Hawaii, The Ionic Breeze was the most sold and also the most returned item in the store. They didn't care because it cost them 23 dollars to make and they sold it for 399. Not to mention it didn't do anything at all but collect dust that landed on it.

[aboriginal @ Apr 24th 2008 5:20PM]

Get your facts right, bud. Just because you worked in the store doesn't mean you know all about it, 'cuz you don't.

[Predator.Z6 @ Apr 24th 2008 6:54PM]

@ Aboriginal: And you do know all about it? Ask anyone, it's pretty obvious what happened here... (if you really do, sorry, but you could have provided some reason)

[sitruc @ Apr 24th 2008 11:17PM]

Weak, but I got it, aboriginal.

[aboriginal @ Apr 25th 2008 12:43PM]

Sorry, but I was venting. I was on the inside and witnessed the destruction first hand. With great power comes great responsibility and these guys that moved in on the company took none. I understand that it is easy to rag on a business going down, but without understanding the bigger picture the people on the inside who aren't responsible take the hits harder than the ones who are. A lot of us got a kick out of shopping there over the years and without places like it there may not have ever been a gadget craze. TSI was really ahead of its time, but never kept up with it either.

[Juaquin @ Apr 24th 2008 4:52PM]

Still not worth it, unless I get all of the sweet doo-dads still in their stores. I guess that's what happens when the economy is in a crunch - don't have money to spend on worthless crap.

[Kev @ Apr 24th 2008 5:08PM]

So they are the people who first though of the idea to unreasonably raise prices with the "iPod compatible" banner...

We still see it today, mini headphone jack to car cassette adaptor, "iPod compatible" labeled ones are frequently priced twice as much as other comparable ones. Only difference other then the label is the white color.

[Loban @ Apr 24th 2008 5:10PM]

Well that sucks, I would surf Sharper Image's website at x-mas time for gift ideas, find something I thought was cool, and then buy it from Amazon for cheaper.

[aboriginal @ Apr 24th 2008 5:17PM]

That's a low way to treat a company a lot of good, smart creative people worked for for a lot of years. Point the finger at the asses that thought they could move in on what was a good business venture and rip it down around the people that worked hard to build it.

[LarryLarryLarry @ Apr 25th 2008 12:22AM]

I'm sorry your dad's company tanked. On the bright side, you're still really, really rich.

[aboriginal @ Apr 25th 2008 12:37PM]

I was adopted.

[[e-mail] @ Apr 24th 2008 6:30PM]

Newness is everything in retail-- not marketing older technology as though it is new an innovative just because it has an exclusive color variance and higher price tag.

[kyle allen @ Apr 24th 2008 6:54PM]

if i had 3.6 mil, id buy it and take 40% off the price of everything, than maybe people would buy stuff there.

[mp @ Apr 28th 2008 3:06PM]

They are having a 40% off sale from their corporate HQ flagship store. I live right above it in SF and picked up some decent deals.

[mark @ Apr 24th 2008 7:09PM]

Aboriginal, your a jackass tell me why I don't know. I damn well do know I worked there for three years and saw exactly what the cost was of anything sharper image put there name on. You could look it up on the computer. Not to mention me and the assistant manager (of 8 years) were best friends and we discussed things of this nature. Now tell me how I wrong you fucking moron.

[roflercopterer @ Apr 24th 2008 7:59PM]

Squidbillies gave me a good reason to never buy anything that vibrates from the sharper image

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a25c392195ba59801195e1ed99600fa

Santa: Okay, this is big crimson daddy, stop production on all sex toys. No vibrators.

Elf: Can't we just call them back massagers?

Santa: Noo......yes. Yes, we can make that work. I'll call sharper image.

[Cassini @ Apr 24th 2008 8:32PM]

Sharper Image going out of business?

Good riddance.


But alas, what will Donald Trump do wit his STEAKS??? Oh, woe isss me!

Not so claaassy now, eh, Donny-boy?

[anodynewake @ Apr 25th 2008 2:48PM]

Brookstone is planning on acquiring them, in their aggressive motion to take Sharper Images' place as retailer of most completely unnecessary products in US gadget history.

[KK @ Jun 2nd 2008 5:17AM]

First of all, Sharper Image didn't invent the idea of Ions.
Their machine may not work well, but there are such things as ions.
Actually, I understand what Aboriginal is saying.If he too, worked there then he would know better than most of us.(the other fellow wh worked there, apparently had a different experience though).