ShopTalk ShopTalk (July 11, 2001)

by Dona van Bronkhorst
A FASHION GIANT . . . Step into Modernbook and you'll wonder how you live with clutter. The bookstore specializes in fashion, photography, design and architecture and the bookstore itself serves as a minimalist canvas for the merchandise. It's bright and white and calming. Tucked into one corner is a fantastic volume of fashion photography by Helmut Newton. The book is gigantic. It measures 20-by-27 inches, has 480 pages and weighs 66 pounds. Published by Taschen Publishers, it is the largest book published in the 20th century. Only 200 copies remain of the 10,000 printed in December 1999. All are numbered and signed by Helmut Newton who began his photography career in Berlin in 1932 as a 12-year-old boy. The $2,500 book, called Sumo, comes with a chrome stand. Modernbook is at 494 University Ave. in Palo Alto.

MORE ART . . . Budding artists will want to enter the sixth annual Summer Art Contest sponsored by University Art Center. Design the ultimate form of transportation and put it on paper, a 10- by 15-inch paper, to be exact. Artists can use any medium and artists ages 0 to 12 are eligible to enter. Pick up an entry form, which will include a sheet of art paper. Deadline for entry in the contest is Saturday, August 4 and winners will be announced Thursday, August 9. If you get your artwork in early, it may be displayed in the University Art store windows. First, second and third place prizes, all gift certificates to the store, will be awarded in three age categories and first-place entries will be framed by the University Art framing department. University Art Center is at 267 Hamilton Ave. in Palo Alto. Now start your creative engines.

THE ART OF BEAUTY . . . Peninsula Beauty Supply is planning a move to a bigger and brighter store. Watch for a move in late August just down the street to 250 University Ave. You can't miss the cute murals there announcing the move. The new store will include a full-service salon and lots more room for beauty, hair and nail care products. Peninsula Beauty is currently located at 220 University Ave. in Palo Alto.

BOOK SALE . . . It is book sale weekend again for Palo Alto Friends of the Library . This month's sale is on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Terman Library, 661 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. Check out the bargain room, where books are priced as low as 25 cents each.

FOR TRAVEL BUFFS . . . Enjoy a free travel forum at Phileas Fogg's Travel Center on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., right after the Summer Jazz concert at Stanford Shopping Center. Tomorrow's discussion session will cover Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. The one-hour forum is an open discussion with a travel expert and fellow travelers. It will continue on Thursday nights through August 30 featuring a different travel subject each week. Phileas Fogg's is between Bloomingdale's and Macy's and across from the newest parking garage.