ShopTalk: SQUEEZED, JUICED AND STRAINED ShopTalk: SQUEEZED, JUICED AND STRAINED (August 24, 2005)

by Daryl Savage

Talor Kelman sat alone at one of several empty tables in his "Beyond Juice" shop in downtown Palo Alto, his head in his hands, a newspaper lying on the table in front of him.

"The owner's over there," the young woman behind the counter said.

As he struggles with the first business he has ever owned, Kelman has learned one important lesson: Life is more than a strawberry smoothie. He has collided head-on with the legendary Palo Alto process, plus a variety of health codes and other requirements. Kelman moved to Palo Alto four months ago from Orange County to take over as the new owner/manager of Beyond Juice Cafe, 523 W. Bryant St.

"I didn't know anyone here so I knew it would be a challenge," he said. But Kelman never realized just how much of a challenge he was up against. "The permits, the licenses, the health codes, the taxes. It's only me here. I don't have a partner, so I have to take care of everything myself," he said.

Kelman was hoping to put a small table and chairs out in front. "But then I found out I needed a $1,000 city permit before I could do that," he said, which quickly finished off outdoor seating.

Kelman's skateboard leans against a wall out front. Pointing, he said, "That's how I do all my errands. And that's why I have to close in the middle of the day sometimes." Kelman's shop was closed last Saturday so he could take a class on food preparation. Nonetheless, Beyond Juice is usually open during work hours and serves unusual and healthy combinations of fruit smoothies and fresh juice, plus a menu of food items.

FINGER LICKIN' GONE ... The Colonel's finger-lickin' good chicken has licked its last finger at 2305 El Camino. KFC is gone. Closed for good, according to a sign on the door. But peering in the windows at the corner of El Camino and Cambridge presents a different picture. The tables and chairs remain untouched. The booths are also still there, seemingly ready for diners. In fact, it looks like the restaurant is ready to resume serving any day. "Not a chance," said a worker at the only other KFC in Palo Alto. That one, at 851 E. San Antonio, continues to do a brisk business, he said. No word yet on what will replace the shuttered KFC.

DAILY DIM-SUM DOWNTOWN ... Workers are putting finishing touches on a meticulous remodel, which will soon open as Taipan Chinese Cuisine. Claiming to be the only pure Hong-Kong-style cuisine in Palo Alto, the new restaurant is going into the old location of Hong Kong Flower, 560 Waverley St. "We'll be serving authentic Chinese dishes," said Chris Chan, who says he's the dishwasher, but is actually an architect and husband of owner Jeannie Lee. Chan takes his dim sum so seriously that nearly half the kitchen is devoted to its preparation. The focal point of the 6,000-square-foot restaurant is a pair of stained-glass doors with hand-etched flowers gracing one of the walls. "I turned them sideways to make them windows," Chan said, adding that he picked them up at a garage sale. "I paid $150 for them. People tell me they're worth $5,000," he said. The spruced-up Taipan is set to open the first week of September.

WHEN JAVA ISN'T JAVA ... California Avenue's Palo Alto Baking Company will soon be flanked by Starbucks Coffee on its east side, but it already has Java on its west side. But isn't that caffeine overkill? This Java is a clothing store. Officially called "Java puri Bali," at 393 California Ave., it also has a striking collection of Southeast Asian art, textiles and reasonably-priced jewelry.

MORE SOUTHEAST-ASIA FASHION ... Another exotic shop recently opened downtown. Far East Living, 540 University Ave., is a tastefully-decorated Asian-inspired boutique, offering clothing, jewelry, sandals and home accent pieces. Could this be a new trend?

KIEHL'S GRAND OPENING AIDS BAY ... The 150-year-old company that began as an apothecary in New York is about to make a splash at the Stanford Shopping Center. Kiehl's, a socially-responsible shop that sells skin-care products, will have its grand opening next Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. In keeping with its policy to give back to the communities it serves, the event will benefit Save the Bay, an environmental group that works to protect and restore San Francisco Bay.

CHARLESTON CENTER UPDATE ... Benton Medical Equipment, formerly known as Palo Alto Orthopedic and a longtime occupant of Palo Alto's Charleston Center and before that of downtown Palo Alto, still is flourishing, but in a different locale. Now in Mountain View at 2601 Garcia Ave., it continues to offer a large array of medical supplies that include wheelchairs, liftchairs and scooters.

Heard a rumor about your favorite store or business moving out, or in, down the block or across town? Daryl Savage will check it out. She can be e-mailed at shoptalk@paweekly.com.

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