It was founded as a mail-order business in 1965, when it started selling items, such as dental clamps and other specialty tools.

[4][5] Brookstone now sells a wide assortment of products, including remote control helicopters and drones, alarm clocks and smartwatches, massage chairs, speakers, iPads and tablet accessories, blankets, pillows, and many other lifestyle items.

Pierre de Beaumont was known as a tinkerer,[11] and Brookstone's start and initial product base was driven around the purpose of making hard-to-find and useful items/tools.

[14][15] Brookstone fixed their customer base issue in the 1980s by introducing products in their stores that were not available in their catalogs; however, they still focused on unique tools and household goods.

[5] Looking to reduce debt, Quaker announced in August 1986 they would sell off their specialty retailing group, which included Brookstone as well as Jos.

Even though sales were increasing, Brookstone decided to focus on ideas of creating products catered towards women, and converting their stores' overall look driven towards a "men's clubhouse" feeling.

[5] At this time, Brookstone only had two distribution centers, and decided to add a brand-new one in 1994 in Missouri, which resulted in faster shipments of their products to customers at no cost.

[5][12] Brookstone evolved into a multimillion-dollar company while retaining a strong grip on their original theme of offering unique and interesting products.

[19] As a result, Brookstone began to consult with firms including Hilco Global and Tiger Capital Group LLC about buying or investing in the company.

[citation needed] In August 2018, Brookstone filed for its second bankruptcy in 4 years, subsequently announcing the closure of all storefronts in shopping malls.

[21][22] Brookstone is in competition with The Sharper Image, a similar company that filed for bankruptcy in 2008,[23] but continues to run its online storefront and catalog.

In November 2009, PETA released an undercover video investigation allegedly depicting inhumane treatment of frogs prior to their use in Frog-O-Spheres at their supplier, Wild Creations.

PETA alleges that frogs are raised in unfiltered water, infrequently fed,[27] and suffering from fungal infections.