Investing in quality

Then head into Sarnoff Art & Writing, where there's a man who'll happily indulge you.

Henry Sarnoff has been catering to artists for 10 years at his store on North Campbell Avenue.

And while some of the prices are, well, pricey ($800 watercolor brush, anyone?), Sarnoff makes sure to offer bargains and gives discounts to artists and students.

He's well aware that this is the retail business, after all, plus it's the 21st century. And that he's up against both the marketing capacity of chain stores and the lower prices of Internet and catalog retailers.

But quality is the message here, from the thick watercolor paper to — yes, believe it — those gold-nibbed fountain pens.

Sarnoff's theory is that, just as runners invest in quality shoes and musicians in superior instruments, so should artists work with good materials.

"It's about an investment. You're investing your time and your energy (in painting), so why not invest in your materials, too?" he says.

So, buying a $16 sheet of watercolor paper, handmade in France, is worth it, he says. "It holds up, and the colors are vibrant on them."

With many of the brands from Europe, and some of them more than 100 years old, a walk through the store is like a geography and a history lesson in one.

For example, there's Sennelier, an oil paint from France. It dates back to 1887 when a chap named Monet asked a young chemist friend of his, Gustave Sennelier, to develop some paints the artist could use outside.

Later, Picasso encouraged Sennelier to make oil pastels, and so another range of paint was born. Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali became a friend, too.

Gustave's grandson, Dominique Sennelier, is now an acquaintance of Sarnoff's. The two met while Sarnoff was working in the art supply business in Los Angeles.

Sarnoff's favorite part of the store is the writing-supplies section. "This is my fun section."

Here you'll find high-end pens from Montblanc and Visconti, pens with hand-engraved nibs, piston-filled fountain pens, and pens with mobile, spill-proof inkwells, designed for writers who want to take their instruments with them on their travels.

"I've always felt that writing is a form of art, and it's become a luxury. It slows people down, they find themselves taking their time and using different words to express themselves."

Sarnoff Art & Writing is for the nonartists among us, too, with leather-bound notebooks, handmade wrapping paper, furniture and a framing gallery that now also sells vintage posters.

Some people have been known to rush in on the way to a party and buy a sheet of $10 wrapping paper to cover a bottle of wine. Others have been so taken by wrapping paper that they've had it framed. Still others have wanted to use art supply cabinets in their kitchens, for cooking utensils.

Sarnoff isn't complaining because, hey, it's all art. And quality art at that.

Quick Take

Sarnoff Art & Writing

2524 N. Campbell Ave., at Grant Road, 795-1229

What: Art and writing supplies, furniture, wrapping paper and framing gallery

Hours: 9.30 a.m.-5.30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays

Price range: $10-$800