Zietz is nothing like the fussy old fellows who usually run newsstands.

The tabloid weeklies come out on Monday. That means more than the usual amount of traffic on Don Pio Drive, a quiet street that leads south from Ventura Boulevard into the hillside homes of the wealthy in Woodland Hills.

There, just off the boulevard on the east wall of a liquor store, a Valley youth named Ken Zietz is cultivating an urban tradition in the middle of a young suburban community.

It’s the only newsstand west of Encino. Zietz calls it “What’s News.”

This week, as usual, there was plenty. The Globe said, “Desi Arnaz Wants Lucille Ball to Forgive Him.” The Star said, “Vanna White Anguishes Over Nude Photos.” The Inquirer said, “Bobby Will Wed Pam in Dallas Finale.”

It was all good news for Zietz. Several hundred people stopped to buy. Most wanted all three.

They came in cars, parking along the curb. Sometimes a customer hopped out of the passenger side while the driver kept the motor running. Other times, the driver just waved a couple bills and Zietz completed the transaction through the window.

Once in a while, a car parked across the street and the customer had to jaywalk. And others had to double park.

Just like in the city.

In most ways What’s News puts on to perfection the crusty appeal of the big-city newsstand. It consists of several hand-made plywood and pine shelves shaded by a blue awning.

The skin magazines, of which Zietz stocks about 250 titles, hold down the center section next to the cash register and the portable television, guarded from the eyes of children by a metal racks displaying the Observer and the Guardian as well as the Hollywood Reporter.

On one side, organized by type and overlapped to save space, are magazines on women, fashions, fine crafts and elegant homemaking. On the other side are publications on sports, autos, computers and the expensive hobbies such as flying and boating. There are maybe a thousand titles in all.

In an ironic touch, Zietz gives a full frontal display to a few scholarly volumes such as The Hudson Review, in which one can read “Jude the Obscure and the Fall of Phaeton” this month.

What stands out as different is Zietz himself, who is nothing like the fussy old fellows in soiled work pants and worn-out tennies who usually work that job.

Zietz is only 20. On Monday he worked in white shorts, a fluorescent orange polo shirt and Reebok shoes, looking quite collegiate.

But he said he’s more of a TV person than a reader. After graduating from Birmingham High School, he decided to continue his education on the streets.

“I was tired of taking tests,” he said. “Over the years, I have been better at working with people than teachers.”

Zietz worked out a deal with the liquor store owner and opened two years ago.

To save money, he still lives with his parents. He employs several friends and family members to maintain the grueling hours of the newsstand business. He’s open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Along with the business acumen, Zietz is learning the tastes and peculiarities of his community.

For example, he said, the people who buy The Hudson Review are usually high-echelon businessmen who aren’t particularly interested in “Jude the Obscure.”

“It’s kind of an impulse thing,” he said. Evidently the gray and imposing volume makes a good visual touch in the office.

Second only to the tabloids, Zietz’s biggest seller is Penthouse, he said.

Then comes the fashion and weekly news magazines. Although those can be ordered through the mail at less than the cover price, they come out sooner and in better shape on the newsstands, Zietz said.

“A lot of people want to save their magazines or at least read a clean copy,” he said.

The biggest surprise of his business education has been the popularity of the gun and combat genre, best represented by the magazine of mercenaries, Soldier of Fortune.

He carries about a dozen titles, including International Combat Arms and Combat Weapons and Tactics, along with the tamer standby, Guns & Ammo.

They’re big sellers, right behind fashions, and pretty much even with automobile and wrestling publications, Zietz said.

At first that surprised him. Then it intrigued him.

“I became interested,” he said.

Zietz tends to develop relationships with his customers, so he got to know some gun enthusiasts. He liked them.

“You’ll find that most of the people who buy Soldier of Fortune and gun magazines are pretty level-headed,” he said. “They’re not hotheads. A lot of them are ex-military men who like to keep up with everything.”

Zietz started reading the magazines. Then he bought a gun. Now he goes target shooting on weekends.

“I don’t hunt animals,” he said. “I couldn’t shoot an animal. But I go out and shoot clay pigeons, play Rambo for a day. It’s just a good release.”

It’s a tense life, even for a kid.