SHARPER IMAGE CORP
424B4, 1999-03-10
MISCELLANEOUS SHOPPING GOODS STORES
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                                 150,000 Shares

                            SHARPER IMAGE CORPORATION

                                  Common Stock

    This  prospectus  relates  to  the  public  offering,  which  is  not  being
underwritten,  of 150,000 shares of our common stock which is held by one of our
current stockholders.

    The prices at which such  stockholder may sell the shares will be determined
by the prevailing market price for the shares or in negotiated transactions.  We
will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares.

     Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq  National  Market under the symbol
"SHRP." On March 5, 1999, the closing price for the common stock was $12.00.

                                ----------------

    Investing in the common stock  involves  certain  risks.  See "Risk Factors"
beginning on page 3.

    Neither the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission  nor any state  securities
commission has approved or  disapproved  of these  securities or passed upon the
adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.

                                ----------------


                  The date of this prospectus is March 8, 1999


                                       1
<PAGE>



                       WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

    We file annual,  quarterly and special  reports,  proxy statements and other
information  with the SEC.  You may  read and copy any  document  we file at the
SEC's  public  reference  rooms in  Washington,  D.C.,  New  York,  New York and
Chicago, Illinois. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information
on the public  reference rooms. Our SEC filings are also available to the public
from the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov.

    The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" the information we file with
them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring
you to those documents.  The information incorporated by reference is considered
to be part of this  prospectus,  and later  information  filed with the SEC will
update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents
listed below and any future filings made with the SEC under Section 13a,  13(c),
14,  or 15(d) of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934  until our  offering  is
completed.

        (a) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 1998.

        (b) The  Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the three  months
    ended April 30, 1998 and 1997,  the six months ended July 31, 1998 and 1997,
    and the nine months ended October 31, 1998 and 1997; and

        (c) The  description  of Sharper  Image  common  stock  contained in its
    registration  statement  on  Form  8-A  filed  May 6,  1987,  including  any
    amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such descriptions.

    You may  request  a copy  of  these  filings,  at no  cost,  by  writing  or
telephoning us at the following address:

        Tracy Y. Wan
        Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
        Sharper Image Corporation
        650 Davis Street
        San Francisco, CA 94111
        (415) 445-6000

    You  should  rely  only on the  information  incorporated  by  reference  or
provided in this prospectus or the prospectus supplement.  We have authorized no
one to provide  you with  different  information.  We are not making an offer of
these  securities in any state where the offer is not permitted.  You should not
assume that the information in this  prospectus or the prospectus  supplement is
accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the document.

                                       2
<PAGE>


                                   THE COMPANY

         Sharper Image  Corporation  ("Sharper Image",  "Company",  "We", "Our")
principal  executive  offices are located at 650 Davis  Street,  San  Francisco,
California 94111. Sharper Image's telephone number is (415) 445-6000.


                                  RISK FACTORS

         You should  carefully  consider the risks described below before making
an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties  described below are not the
only ones facing us.  Additional risks and  uncertainties not presently known to
us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations.

         If any of the following risks actually occur,  our business,  financial
condition or results of operations could be materially  adversely  affected.  In
such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose
all or part of your investment.

         This prospectus also contains "forward-looking" statements that involve
risks and  uncertainties.  Our actual results could differ materially from those
anticipated in these forward-looking  statements as a result of certain factors,
including  the  risks  faced  by  us  described   below  and  in  the  documents
incorporated by reference to this prospectus.

We May Not Successfully Offer Attractive Merchandise to Our Customers

         In order to meet our strategic goals, we must  successfully  locate and
offer to our customers  new,  innovative  and high quality  products to meet our
customers'  demands.  Our product  offerings must be  affordable,  useful to the
customer,  well made, distinctive in design, and not widely available from other
retailers.  We can not predict with  certainty that we will  successfully  offer
products that meet these requirements in the future.

         If other retailers, especially department stores or discount retailers,
offer our products or similar  products or if our products decline in popularity
with customers, our sales of such products may decline or we may decide to offer
such  products at lower  prices.  If customers buy less of our products or if we
have to reduce our prices, our revenues and profits will decline.

         In addition,  we must offer our merchandise in sufficient quantities to
meet the demands of our customers and deliver this merchandise to customers in a
timely  manner.  We  must  be  able to  maintain  sufficient  inventory  levels,
particularly during peak selling seasons.  Our future results may be affected if
we are not successful in achieving these goals.

We May Not Successfully Design and Develop Proprietary Products

         We are  increasingly  dependent on the success of the products  that we
have designed and developed for our customers. We must design products that meet
the demands of our customers and manufacture these products cost-effectively. In
addition,  we must  manufacture  such products in sufficient  quantities to meet
customer demand and deliver these products in a timely manner to customers.  Our
future  results may be  affected if we are not  successful  in  achieving  these
goals.

We Face Certain Risks Associated with Expansion

         We plan to continue to increase  the number of Sharper  Image stores in
the future in order to grow our  revenues.  Our ability to expand will depend in
part on the following factors:

               *  availability of attractive store locations
               *  ability to negotiate favorable lease terms
               *  identifying customer demand in different geographies
               *  general economic conditions
               *  availability of sufficient funds for expansion

         As we  continue to expand,  there have been  limited  geographic  areas
where we have become concentrated.  This could increase our exposure to customer
demand,  weather,   competition,   ability  to  distribute,  and  poor  economic
conditions in these  regions.  In addition,  our catalog sales or existing store
sales in a specific region may decrease as a result of new store openings.

         In order to continue  our  expansion,  we will need to hire  additional
management and staff for our corporate offices and employees for each new store.
We must also expand our management  information systems and distribution systems
to serve these new stores. If we are unable to hire necessary  personnel or grow
our existing  systems,  our expansion efforts may not succeed and our operations
may suffer.

                                       3
<PAGE>
         Some of our expenses will  increase with the opening of new stores.  If
store sales are inadequate to support these new costs,  our  profitability  will
decrease.  For example,  inventory costs will increase as we increase  inventory
levels to fulfill additional stores. We may not be able to manage this increased
inventory without decreasing our profitability. We may need additional financing
in excess of our  current  credit  facility  to be used for new store  openings.
Furthermore,  our current  credit  facility has various  loan  covenants we must
comply with in order to maintain  the credit  facility.  We can not predict with
certainty that we will be successful in obtaining additional funds or new credit
facilities on reasonable terms or at all.

We Are Dependent on the Success of our Advertising Efforts

         Our revenues  depend in part in our ability to  effectively  market and
advertise our products  through The Sharper Image catalog and other  advertising
vehicles.  Increases  in  advertising  costs may limit our ability to  advertise
without  reducing our  profitability,  but reduced  advertising  has a potential
adverse effect on future results.

We Rely on Our Catalog Operations

         Our success  depends in part on the success of our catalog  operations,
which we believe is achieved through the efficient targeting of our mailings,  a
high volume of prospect mailing,  appropriate  shifts in our merchandise mix and
our ability to achieve adequate response rates to our mailings. Catalog mailings
entail substantial paper,  postage,  merchandise  acquisition and human resource
costs,  including  costs  associated  with  catalog  development  and  increased
inventories,  virtually  all of which are incurred  prior to the mailing of each
catalog.  As a result,  we are not able to adjust the costs  being  incurred  in
connection  with a particular  mailing to reflect the actual  performance of the
catalog.  If, for any reason,  we were to experience a significant  shortfall in
anticipated revenue from a particular mailing, and thereby not recover the costs
associated with that mailing, our future results would be adversely affected. In
addition, response rates to our mailings and, as a result, revenues generated by
each mailing can be affected by factors such as consumer  preferences,  economic
conditions,  the  timing  and  mix  of  catalog  mailings  and  changes  in  the
merchandise mix, several of which may be outside our control.  Further,  we have
historically  experienced  fluctuations  in the  response  rates to our  catalog
mailings.  Our inability to  accurately  target the  appropriate  segment of the
consumer  catalog market or to achieve  adequate  response rates could result in
lower  sales,  significant  markdowns  or  write-offs  of  inventory,  increased
merchandise returns, and lower margins,  which would adversely affect our future
results.

Our Catalog Costs are Unpredictable

         Historically,  a  significant  portion of our  revenues  have been from
purchases  made by customers  from The Sharper Image  catalog.  Increases in the
costs of producing and distributing the catalog may reduce the  profitability of
our catalog sales.  Specifically,  we may experience increases in postage, paper
or shipping  costs due to factors  beyond our control.  As a result,  our future
results may be adversely affected.

         We maintain a contract  with  Federal  Express for the  delivery of our
merchandise.  There can be no assurance that,  once this contract  expires or is
terminated,  the Company will be able to negotiate  similar or better terms with
Federal Express or another  shipping  company or that the resulting  contract(s)
will be on terms  favorable  to the  Company.  Any  inability  of the Company to
secure  suitable or  commercially  favorable  contracts  for the delivery of our
merchandise could have an adverse effect on our future results.

Our New Business Lines and Acquisitions May Not Succeed

         In the past we have tested new lines of  business  that have not always
proven profitable. We continually examine and evaluate all revenue divisions for
profitability.  For example,  in the end of our 1996 fiscal year we discontinued
our SPA Collections  division and  discontinued  the mailing our Home Collection
Catalog at the end of our 1998 fiscal  year due to their lack of  profitability.
We may decide to develop new business lines or to acquire additional  businesses
in the future,  and we cannot  predict with  certainty that such efforts will be
successful.  The failure of new business lines or acquisitions could hurt future
results.

         We are pursuing  opportunities  to sell our products over the Internet.
This is a new business and marketing  strategy for us and involves certain risks
and  uncertainties.  We may not succeed in achieving  profitable  orperations in
marketing our products over the Internet.

Our Business is Seasonal in Nature

         Our business is highly seasonal,  which reflects the general pattern of
peak sales and earnings for the retail industry during the Christmas  season.  A
substantial  portion of our total  revenues  and all or most of our net earnings
occur during our fourth quarter ending January 31. Our earnings during the other
quarters of the year are generally lower and we have experienced  losses in such
periods.  It is possible that we may experience  similar losses in the future in
such periods.  If for any reason our sales were to be substantially  below those
normally  expected  during the winter  quarter  of our fiscal  year,  our annual
results would be adversely  affected.  Due to this seasonality,  the results for
any one period may not be indicative of the results for the full fiscal year.

                                       4
<PAGE>

         In addition,  like other retailers we typically make  merchandising and
purchasing  decisions  for the  Christmas  season well in advance of the holiday
selling season. As a result,  poor economic  conditions and/or  differences from
projected  customer  demand for our  products  during the fourth  quarter  could
result in lower  revenues.  During  our 1996 and 1997  fiscal  years,  our total
revenues for the fourth quarter ending January 31 accounted for more than 40% of
total revenues for the full fiscal year.

We Depend on Our Vendors

         Our  performance  depends on our  ability to purchase  our  products in
sufficient  quantities at competitive prices and on our vendors' ability to make
and deliver high quality  products in a cost effective,  timely manner.  Some of
our smaller vendors have limited  resources,  production  capacities and limited
operating histories.  We have no long-term purchase contracts or other contracts
that provide continued supply,  pricing or access to new products and any vendor
or distributor  could  discontinue  selling to us at any time. We can not assure
you  that we will be able to  acquire  the  products  we  desire  in  sufficient
quantities or on terms that are acceptable to us in the future. In addition,  we
cannot  assure you that our vendors will make and deliver high quality  products
in  a  cost  effective,  timely  manner.  We  may  also  be  unable  to  develop
relationships with new vendors.  Our inability to acquire suitable products in a
cost effective,  timely manner or the loss of one or more key vendors could have
a negative impact on our business.

We Face Certain Risks Relating to Customer  Service and the  Distribution of Our
Products

         Our ability to provide customer service depends,  to a large degree, on
the efficient and uninterrupted  operation of our two call centers. Any material
disruption  or slowdown in our order  processing  systems  resulting  from labor
disputes,  telephone down times, electrical outages,  mechanical problems, human
error or accidents,  fire, natural  disasters,  or comparable events could cause
delays in our ability to receive and  distribute  orders and may cause orders to
be lost or to be shipped or delivered  late.  As a result,  customers may cancel
orders or refuse to  receive  goods on  account of late  shipments  which  would
result in a reduction of net sales and could mean increased  administrative  and
shipping costs.  There can be no assurances that telephone call volumes will not
exceed our present  telephone  system capacity and that, as a result,  telephone
answer  delays and delays in placing  orders will not occur.  As our  strategies
depend in part on  maintaining  our  reputation  for levels of customer  service
substantially  superior to that in the catalog  industry,  any impairment of our
customer service reputation could have an adverse effect on our business.

         We conduct all of our distribution operations and all of our mail order
processing  fulfillment  functions  from  a  single  facility  in  Little  Rock,
Arkansas. Any disruption in the operations at the distribution center could have
a  negative  impact on our  business.  In  addition,  we rely upon  third  party
carriers for our product shipments,  including  shipments to and from all of our
stores. As a result, we are subject to certain risks, including employee strikes
and  inclement  weather,  associated  with such  carriers'  ability  to  provide
delivery services to meet our shipping needs. We are also dependent on temporary
employees to adequately staff our  distribution  facility,  particularly  during
busy period such as the  Christmas  season and while new stores are opening.  We
cannot assure you that we will continue to receive adequate  assistance from our
temporary  employees,  or that we will  continue  to have  access to  sufficient
sources of temporary employees.

Results for Our Comparable Store Sales May Fluctuate

         A variety of factors  affect our  comparable  store  sales,  including,
among others:

             *  customer demand in different geographies
             *  our ability to efficiently source and distribute products
             *  changes in our product mix
             *  impact of competition
             *  general economic conditions

         Our comparable  store sales have fluctuated  significantly  in the past
and we believe that such  fluctuations  may  continue.  Our historic  comparable
store net sales changes were as follows:

                                                        Percentage
             Fiscal Year                            Increase (Decrease)
             -----------                            -------------------
             1995                                           3.3
             1996                                          (2.1)
             1997                                           1.1
             Nine months ended                              3.1
                October 31, 1998
 
                                      5

<PAGE>

         These  historic  results  are  not  necessarily  indicative  of  future
results,  and we cannot assure you that our comparable  store sales results will
not decrease in the future.  Any changes in our  comparable  store sales results
could impact our future operating  performance and cause the price of the common
stock to fluctuate.


We Experience Intense Competition in Our Markets

         We operate in a highly competitive environment.  We principally compete
with a variety of department  stores,  sporting goods stores,  discount  stores,
specialty  retailers and other  catalogs that offer  products  similar to or the
same as our products.  Many of our competitors are larger companies with greater
financial  resources,  a wider selection of merchandise and a greater  inventory
availability.  Increased  competition  could  have  a  negative  impact  on  our
business.

We May Fail to Anticipate and Adapt to Changing Consumer Trends

         Our  success  depends  on our  ability  to  anticipate  and  respond to
changing  product trends and consumer  demands in a timely manner.  Our products
must appeal to a broad range of consumers  whose  preferences  cannot  always be
predicted with  certainty and may change  between sales seasons.  If we misjudge
either the market for our  products or our  customers'  purchasing  habits,  our
sales may decline or we may be required to sell our products at lower prices.
This would result in a negative impact on our business.

Poor Economic Conditions May Hurt Our Business

         Certain economic  conditions  affect the level of consumer  spending on
our products, including, among others, the following:

            *  general business conditions
            *  interest rates
            *  taxation
            *  consumer confidence in future economic conditions

Poor  economic  conditions  and any  related  decline  in  consumer  demand  for
discretionary  items such as our products  could result in a negative  impact on
our business.

We do purchase  merchandise from foreign entities and use foreign  manufacturers
on a contract  basis for Sharper  Image  Design  proprietary  products and other
private label products. Therefore there are potential international risk factors
relating  to vendors and  manufacturers.  The large  majority  of these  foreign
entities are in the Far East, where political, social, legal, and economic risks
could negatively impact our business. Additionally,  foreign weather and product
transportation  problems could affect our ability to maintain adequate inventory
levels and adversely affect our future results.

We are Dependent on Certain Key Personnel

         Our success  depends to a significant  extent upon the abilities of our
senior  management,   including  without  limitation,  Richard  Thalheimer,  our
founder,  President and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of the services of any
of these members of senior  management  or of certain other key employees  could
have a significant adverse effect on our business. We maintain key man insurance
on Mr.  Thalheimer in the amount of $15 million.  In addition,  our  performance
will  depend  upon our  ability to  attract  and  retain  qualified  management,
merchandising and sales personnel. There can be no assurance that Mr. Thalheimer
and the other members of our existing management team will be able to manage our
company or our growth or that we will be ability to attract and hire  additional
qualified personnel as needed in the future.

We are Controlled by a Single Stockholder

         Upon completion of this offering,  Richard Thalheimer will beneficially
own  approximately  54% of all of the outstanding  shares of the common stock of
our company.  As a result,  Mr. Thalheimer will continue to be able to elect the
entire Board of Directors and control the corporate actions of our company.

Our Common Stock Prices are Volatile

         Our common  stock is quoted on the Nasdaq  National  Market,  which has
experienced  and is likely to  experience  in the future  significant  price and
volume  fluctuations  which could  reduce the market  price of the common  stock
without regard to our operating performance. In addition, we believe that any of
the  factors   could  cause  the  price  of  the  common   stock  to   fluctuate
substantially:

                                       6
<PAGE>

           *   quarterly fluctuations in our comparable store sales
           *   announcements by other accessory and gift item retailers
           *   the trading volume of our common stock in the public market
           *   general economic conditions
           *   financial market conditions

Risks Associated with the Year 2000 Problem

         We recognize that the arrival of the year 2000 poses a unique worldwide
challenge  to the  ability of all  systems to  recognize  the date  change  from
December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000.  The year 2000 issue could result,  at our
company and elsewhere, in system failures or miscalculations causing disruptions
of operations,  including,  among other things, a temporary inability to process
transactions or to engage in other normal business activities.  We have assessed
our  computer  and  business  processes  and we are  reprogramming  our computer
applications  to provide for their  continued  functionality.  We are  currently
assessing the readiness of the external entities with which we interface.

         We  are  presently  unable  to  assess  the  likelihood  that  we  will
experience  operational  problems due to unresolved  year 2000 problems of third
parties that we do business  with. We cannot assure you that other entities will
achieve  timely year 2000  compliance;  and if they do not,  year 2000  problems
could have an adverse impact on our operations. Where commercially reasonable to
do so, we intend to assess our risks with respect to failure by third parties to
be year 2000 compliant and to seek to mitigate those risks. If we cannot achieve
such  mitigation,  year  2000  problems  could  have an  adverse  impact  on our
operations.

         The estimated cost for this project is between $500,000 and $1,000,000,
and is being funded through  operating cash flows. We will incur operating costs
related to year 2000  compliance  projects  over  several  quarters  and we will
expense  such costs as incurred.  Through  October 31,  1998,  we have  incurred
approximately $250,000 on work related to year 2000 compliance.

         Our estimates of the costs of achieving  year 2000  compliance  and the
date by which year 2000  compliance  will be achieved are based on  management's
best  estimates,  which were derived  using  numerous  assumptions  about future
events including the continued  availability of certain  resources,  third party
modification plans and other factors.  However,  we cannot assure you that these
estimates  will be achieved,  and actual  results could differ  materially  from
these  estimates.  Specific  factors that might cause such material  differences
include, but are not limited to the following:

      *  the  availability   and  cost  of  personnel   trained  in  year  2000
         remediation work
      *  the ability to locate and correct all computer codes
      *  our vendors and suppliers success in reaching year 2000 readiness
      *  he timely availability of necessary replacement items

         We  presently  believe  that  the  most  reasonably  likely  worst-case
scenarios  that we might  confront  with  respect to year 2000 issues have to do
with third parties not being year 2000  compliant.  We are presently  evaluating
vendor and customer  compliance  and will  develop  contingency  plans,  such as
alternate  vendor  opportunities,  after obtaining  compliance  evaluations.  We
intend to develop contingency plans by September 1999.

Merchandise Returns

         As part of our  customer  service  commitment,  we  maintain  a liberal
merchandise  return policy which allows customers to return any merchandise.  As
with industry  practice,  we make  allowances for catalog sales in our financial
statements for anticipated merchandise returns based on historical return rates.
We cannot  assure  you that  actual  merchandise  returns  will not  exceed  our
allowances.  In addition,  because our allowances are based on historical return
rates, there can be no assurance that the introduction of new merchandise in our
stores or  catalogs  or the  opening  of new  stores,  the  introduction  of new
catalogs,  changes in the merchandise mix or other factors will not cause actual
returns to exceed return  allowances.  Any  significant  increase in merchandise
returns or merchandise returns that exceed our allowances could adversely affect
our future results.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

         We are a Delaware  corporation.  The Delaware  General  Corporation Law
contains  certain  provisions  that may  discourage,  delay or make a change  in
control of our  company  more  difficult  or prevent  the  removal of  incumbent
directors.  In addition,  our  Certificate of  Incorporation  and Bylaws contain
certain  provisions  that  have the same  effect.  These  provisions  may have a
negative impact on the price of our common stock and may discourage  third-party
bidders  from  making a bid for our company or may reduce any  premiums  paid to
shareholders for their common stock.

                                       7

<PAGE>
                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

    Sharper  Image is  registering  all  150,000  shares  on behalf of a selling
stockholder, The CIT Group/Business Credit Inc. All of the shares will be issued
upon  exercise  of  warrants  to acquire  shares of our common  stock  issued in
connection with our financing agreement with The CIT Group/Business  Credit Inc.
Sharper   Image  will  receive  no  proceeds   from  this   offering.   The  CIT
Group/Business   Credit  Inc.  or  pledgees,   donees,   transferees   or  other
successors-in-interest  selling shares received from such selling stockholder as
a gift,  partnership  distribution or other non-sale  related transfer after the
date of this prospectus  (collectively,  the "Selling Stockholder") may sell the
shares from time to time.  The Selling  Stockholder  will act  independently  of
Sharper Image in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of
each  sale.  The  sales  may  be  made  on  one  or  more  exchanges  or in  the
over-the-counter  market or otherwise, at prices and at terms then prevailing or
at  prices  related  to  the  then  current  market  price,   or  in  negotiated
transactions.  The Selling  Stockholder may effect such  transactions by selling
the shares to or through  broker-dealers.  The shares may be sold by one or more
of, or a combination of, the following:

    o   a block trade in which the broker-dealer so engaged will attempt to sell
        the shares as agent but may  position  and resell a portion of the block
        as principal to facilitate the transaction,

    o   purchases  by  a   broker-dealer   as  principal   and  resale  by  such
        broker-dealer for its account pursuant to this prospectus,

    o   an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of such exchange,

    o   ordinary  brokerage  transactions  and  transactions in which the broker
        solicits purchasers, and

    o   in privately negotiated transactions.

    To the extent required,  this prospectus may be amended or supplemented from
time to time to describe a specific plan of  distribution.  In effecting  sales,
broker-dealers  engaged  by  the  Selling  Stockholder  may  arrange  for  other
broker-dealers to participate in the resales.

    The  Selling   Stockholder   may  enter  into  hedging   transactions   with
broker-dealers in connection with  distributions of the shares or otherwise.  In
such transactions, broker-dealers may engage in short sales of the shares in the
course of hedging the positions they assume with the Selling  Stockholder.  Some
or all of the shares covered by this registration statement may be sold to cover
short  positions  in the open  market.  The Selling  Stockholder  may enter into
option or other transactions with  broker-dealers  which require the delivery to
the broker-dealer of the shares.  The broker-dealer may then resell or otherwise
transfer such shares pursuant to this prospectus.  The Selling  Stockholder also
may loan or pledge the shares to a broker-dealer. The broker-dealer may sell the
shares so  loaned,  or upon a default  the  broker-dealer  may sell the  pledged
shares pursuant to this prospectus.

    Broker-dealers   or  agents  may  receive   compensation   in  the  form  of
commissions,   discounts   or   concessions   from  the   Selling   Stockholder.
Broker-dealers  or agents may also receive  compensation  from the purchasers of
the  shares for whom they act as agents or to whom they sell as  principals,  or
both.  Compensation  as to a  particular  broker-dealer  might be in  excess  of
customary commissions and will be in amounts to be negotiated in connection with
the sale. Broker-dealers or agents and any other participating broker-dealers or
the Selling Stockholder may be deemed to be "underwriters" within the meaning of
Section  2(11) of the  Securities  Act in  connection  with sales of the shares.
Accordingly,  any such commission,  discount or concession  received by them and
any  profit on the resale of the  shares  purchased  by them may be deemed to be
underwriting  discounts or  commissions  under the Securities  Act.  Because the
Selling  Stockholder may be deemed to be an "underwriter"  within the meaning of
Section 2(11) of the Securities Act, the Selling  Stockholder will be subject to
the prospectus  delivery  requirements of the Securities  Act. In addition,  any
securities  covered by this  prospectus  which qualify for sale pursuant to Rule
144 promulgated  under the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than
pursuant to this prospectus.

    The shares  will be sold only  through  registered  or  licensed  brokers or
dealers if required under  applicable  state  securities  laws. In addition,  in
certain  states the shares may not be sold unless they have been  registered  or
qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration
or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

    Under  applicable  rules and regulations  under the Exchange Act, any person
engaged  in the  distribution  of the shares  may not  simultaneously  engage in
market  making  activities  with respect to our common stock for a period of two
business days prior to the commencement of such distribution.  In addition,  the
Selling Stockholder will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act
and the  associated  rules and  regulations  under the Exchange  Act,  including
Regulation  M, which  provisions  may limit the timing of purchases and sales of
shares of our common stock by the Selling  Stockholder.  Sharper Image will make
copies of this prospectus  available to the Selling Stockholder and has informed
it of the need for delivery of copies of this  prospectus  to  purchasers  at or
prior to the time of any sale of the shares.

                                       8
<PAGE>

    The Selling  Stockholder  will bear all commissions  and discounts,  if any,
attributable  to the sales of the shares.  The Selling  Stockholder may agree to
indemnify any broker-dealer or agent that participates in transactions involving
sales of the shares against certain liabilities,  including  liabilities arising
under the  Securities  Act.  The  Selling  Stockholder  has agreed to  indemnify
certain  persons,   including   broker-dealers   and  agents,   against  certain
liabilities in connection with the offering of the shares, including liabilities
arising under the Securities Act.

                                        9

<PAGE>

                              SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

    The  Selling  Stockholder  has  had a  relationship  as a  lender  providing
financing  through a credit  facility to Sharper Image.  The CIT  Group/Business
Credit Inc.  currently  beneficially owns 150,000 shares,  which represents less
than 1% of the  outstanding  shares of our company.  The shares  offered by this
prospectus  may be offered  from time to time by the  Selling  Stockholder.  The
Selling Stockholder currently intends to sell all of these shares.


                                  LEGAL MATTERS

    The  validity  of the  securities  offered  hereby  will be passed  upon for
Sharper Image by Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP, San Francisco, California.


                                     EXPERTS

The  financial   statements  and  the  related  financial   statement   schedule
incorporated in this prospectus by reference from the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended  January 31,  1998 have been  audited by Deloitte &
Touche  LLP,  independent  auditors,  as  stated  in their  reports,  which  are
incorporated herein by reference, and have been so incorporated in reliance upon
the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and
auditing.

    With  respect  to  the  unaudited  interim  financial  information  for  the
three-month  periods ended April 30, 1998 and 1997, the six-month  periods ended
July 31, 1998 and 1997 and the  nine-month  periods  ended  October 31, 1998 and
1997,  which is  incorporated  herein by  reference,  Deloitte & Touche LLP have
applied  limited  procedures in  accordance  with  professional  standards for a
review of such information.  However, as stated in their reports included in the
Company's  Quarterly  Reports  on Form  10-Q for the  periods  stated  above and
incorporated by reference herein,  they did not audit and they do not express an
opinion  on that  interim  financial  information.  Accordingly,  the  degree of
reliance on their reports on such  information  should be restricted in light of
the limited nature of the review procedures  applied.  Deloitte & Touche LLP are
not subject to the liability  provisions of Section 11 of the  Securities Act of
1933 for their reports on the unaudited  interim financial  information  because
those  reports  are not  "reports"  or a "part"  of the  registration  statement
prepared or certified by an  accountant  within the meaning of Sections 7 and 11
of the Act.

                                       10
<PAGE>


=======================================  =======================================


We have not  authorized  any  person to
make a statement that differs from what
is in this  prospectus.  If any  person
does make a statement that differs from
what is in this prospectus,  you should
not rely on it. This  prospectus is not       SHARPER IMAGE CORPORATION
an offer to sell,  nor is it seeking an
offer to buy,  these  securities in any
state in which the offer or sale is not
permitted.   The  information  in  this
prospectus  is complete and accurate as
of its date,  but the  information  may
change after that date.


                                                    150,000 Shares
            ----------------                        of Common Stock


                                                   ----------------

                                                      PROSPECTUS

           TABLE OF CONTENTS                       ----------------


 
                                   Page
                                   ----
Where You can Find More
  Information....................... 2
The Company ........................ 3
Risk Factors........................ 3               March 8, 1999
Plan of Distribution................ 8
Selling Shareholders ............... 10
Legal Matters ...................... 10
Experts .............................10
  


=======================================  =======================================

                                       11




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