Gifts You Would Never Have Imagined
For over 150 years, Hammacher Schlemmer has brought the world a wide variety of well designed, durable, high-quality products that are not only unique, theyre famously expensivebut the expense is somewhat justified because everything comes with a lifetime guarantee of refund or replacement.
Hammacher Schlemmer has offered fine apparel, electronics, home furnishings, office equipment, and a unique selection of thoughtful gifts since 1848. Hammacher Schlemmer first opened in midtown Manhattan before the Civil War began. In the early 19th century, the store quickly gained a reputation for offering high-quality builders hardware not available anywhere else. William Schlemmer began selling tools in front of his uncles hardware store when he was 12 years old, and rose through the companys ranks to buy out his uncles interest in 1867, along with the help of Alfred Hammacher. The store was one of the first in the United States to install electric lighting, and was among the initial subscribers in the first telephone directory of New York City. The stores first catalog, published in 1881, was distributed as a bound hardcover book.
The company moved to its present location on East 57th Street in 1926, where it offered the public twelve floors of household furnishings, personal items, and the first electrical appliances available to consumers. During the 1930s and 40s, the store introduced the first pop-up toaster, electric razor, steam iron, pencil sharpener, electric can opener, and automatic coffee maker. Other notable "firsts" included the first microwave, telephone answering machine, and cordless telephone. Hundreds of items introduced to the public by Hammacher Schlemmer that seemed unusual and quirky at the time of their introduction are now commonplace in every American household.
The Hammacher Schlemmer store today offers everything from a 3-second business card scanner to a hands-free book light that fits snugly over one ear and the worlds largest write-on map mural. The Hypnotic Jellyfish Aquarium can be wall-mounted, set on a bookshelf, or displayed on a tabletop. Three artificial jellyfish swim amid seaweed and coral reefs while LED backlighting spotlights their activities. An integrated motor silently generates gentle currents that move the jellyfish around in the water. And the aquarium requires no cleaning or maintenance at all.
For those who value items with multiple functions, theres the five-device recharging station, the travelers six-pocket shirt, and the only three-level pool table in the world, all of which are currently 60% off. For outdoor living enthusiasts, theres the upside-down tomato garden, the solar-powered pool-heating rings, and the Keep Your Distance Bug Vacuum.
If youre having trouble finding a present for the sci-fi fanatic in your family, Hammacher Schlemmer probably has just the robot youve been looking for. The Robotic Pugilists are a modern-day take on the Rock-em-Sock-em robots of the past, with eight distinctive maneuvers to outbox each other. Integratl speakers in each robot play music and the roar of the crowd with each punch, and each robot responds with an appropriate grunt and facial expression with the landing of each smack. Take your robotic adventures seaside with a remote-controlled robotic bull shark or hammerhead shark. Or go Hollywood with the genuine Lost in Space B-9 Robot ("Warning, warning, aliens approaching!") or your own voice-activated R2-D2. If you like diminutive electronic buddies, the Worlds Smallest Humanoid Robot can provide you with 6.5" of mechanical companionship. But for the total robot experience, theres nothing like the Genuine 7-Foot Robby the Robot from the classic 1956 film Forbidden Planet. Robby is created from the same blueprints, molds, and templates used to create the film robot, and every mechanism is handmade. Its available only from Hammacher Schlemmer, and its a good thing it comes with a lifetime guarantee because the price tag is a hefty $49,999.95.
If youre still at a loss for that perfect gift for the friend or loved one who has everything and you really want to blow them away with your originality, you can get them something that nobody else in their neighborhoodmaybe even their citywill be getting for Christmas. The Transparent Canoe-Kayak will give them a great firsthand view of the creatures swimming beneath their boat as they glide across the water, or they can sit at home and watch sea creatures in a 25-gallon aquarium coffee table. Or for only $108,000 you can give them a 120-MPH electric car that can accelerate from zero to 60 in only four seconds, in one gear with no shifting. It can fit in a 6 half-lane and can park perpendicular to a curb so you dont have to worry about parallel parking. The driver and passenger sit in tandem front and back seats, so its ultra-compact. But you can go even more ultra-compact and save money if you eliminate the passengertheres also an electric one-person car available for only $36,000.
Hammacher Schlemmer has offered the ultimate in lavish gifts in ways that no other store can, for over 150 years. Their product offerings have stood the test of time, changing as necessary to keep up with an ever-evolving world. But from the very beginning, their focus was on high quality, durability, and excellent customer serviceand those things have never changed.
