While large specialty retailers and department stores have the liberty of offering huge sales, discount items, and unbelievable warranties, there is something lost in the homogenous consumer experience. Employees are often unknowledgeable, un-invested and are willing to sell you anything, so long as it translates to a sizeable commission. The days of the corner store are over, but a former specialty retail mogul wants to bring them back. Richard Thalheimer, the creator and founder of The Sharper Image, founded RichardSolo.com in 2007 after his departure from the specialty retailer. RichardSolo.com is a new online store where you can find the latest gadgets, unique gifts and luxury items. This online boutique also specializes in unparalleled customer service with your every purchase.

Thalheimer broke into merchandising in 1977 with a startup that began as a part-time office supply business. Soon, he began to sell more consumer-oriented items, including his breakthrough product ? a runner's watch. In time, this small office supply business would become what The Sharper Image is today ? a 190-store, 2,600-employee giant. After his departure from the company in 2006, Thalheimer went to work on RichardSolo.com. He started the site with one goal in mind: to create an alternative to the electronic and gadget giants by offering his customers a more personal experience, as well as rekindling the relationship between vendor and consumer.

The unique merchandise at RichardSolo.com is hand-selected by Richard Thalheimer himself. He visits consumer electronic shows around the world in search of the latest and greatest tools to make life easier. So far, the site has a wide range of products, including everything from celestial wristwatches to motorized scooters, working slot machines to GPS navigation devices, kitchen tools, emergency radios, language translators and many other unusual, specialty items. The site also offers a great selection of iPod speakers, and is even a leading seller of the VersTM, handcrafted, wood iPod sound system. For those of you with an iPhone, Thalheimer has pioneered the need for extended battery life with his self-branded RichardSolo Smart Backup Battery; a rechargeable lithium-ion battery made specifically for Apple iPhone and iPod players.

Aside from its great selection of products, RichardSolo.com is known for its responsive and attentive customer service. The driving force behind the company is its offer of personal experience that larger electronics and gadget retailers lack. Consumer inquiries are answered almost immediately and problems are resolved quickly. A 30-day money back guarantee is applied to each of its products in order to make your satisfaction its number one priority, as it should be.

For an experience unlike Brookstone, unlike Best Buy, and even unlike his first brainchild, The Sharper Image, visit Richard Thalheimer's RichardSolo.com. The service is nothing short of amazing, and the product lineup is qualified by his years of experience in the gadget industry and a passion for merchandising quality products. There's a greater sense of sincerity about boutique shops, whether they're online or brick-and-mortar stores. There's something to be said about high-quality products, but a memorable consumer experience is invaluable.

- Ben Anton, 2008