https://qz.com/1326823/before-scooter-shares-the-sharper-image-was-selling-razors-to-tech-workers/

Ask anyone who has been around the tech world long enough, and they’ll tell you that innovation is cyclical. Microsoft tried to sell smartwatches back in 2004. WebVan tried to build Instacart in 1999. Nintendo tried to make virtual reality gaming a thing back in 1995. But ask Richard Thalheimer, and he’ll tell you that the cycle of innovation has two wheels.

Thalheimer is the founder of The Sharper Image, the gadget store that brought scooter mania to the United States at the start of the 21st century. After spotting an aluminum scooter with rollerblade wheels at a Chinese toy fair in early 2000, he decided to negotiate an exclusive contract to import them to the US. By the end of the year, Razor Scooters from The Sharper Image had surpassed Tamagotchis and Barbie dolls as the most popular gift of the holiday season.