It would be a very nice feature to be able to search directly against the product database as a user.  I'm imagining a simple module with search textbox and button, that would export the results list in a template of the admin's choosing, that shows in the product details module.  A search against the keywords listed against the item, much in the same way as the search in the store admin interface would make this relatively simple to implement, I think, as you're effectively taking the admin product search and making it publically accessible, albeit in a limited capacity.  Of course, you'd want to observe the inactive product field and make sure that if someone clicks through from a search into an item, and then clicks Back, that it returns to the search results.