Sharper Image

Sharper Image's 2008 bankruptcy collapsed the gadget retailer after its main product, the Ionic Breeze air purifier, was exposed as ineffective. Consumer Reports testing showed the $300 device didn't clean air meaningfully. Sales collapsed; the company sued Consumer Reports and lost. Without the air purifier, Sharper Image was just an overpriced gadget shop. The brand survives on licensed products but the retail chain is gone. Sharper Image demonstrated that single-product dependency creates existential risk when that product fails.