- There should be a shop in Koura, said the neighbor Päivi Alakankau and Sami for Sunnarborg.
They themselves stated the same when, several times after a trip to the store, they noticed that something necessary had not been purchased. Both Päivi and Sami have an entrepreneurial background, so the idea of establishing a village store seemed like a possibility.
The point for establishing the store has been to save customers' time:
- It's pointless to spend valuable free time driving between home and the store, Päivi states.
The offer listens to the customers' wishes and the selection is tailored to suit the local clientele. Attention is drawn to fishing accessories as well as to the selection of screws and bolts.
- There are cottagers in the region who fish and through us you can order e.g. building materials.
The investment support granted by Liiver helped to get started faster. Minimarket did not receive village trade support due to its proximity to Seinäjoki, and without Liiver's help, many necessary purchases would have been delayed while waiting for revenue funding. Koura Minimarket turned one year old on December 6 and its development is still continuing.
The importance of the village shop is greater than the cash register
Days are made happy when happy greetings are heard from between the shelves. Villagers who haven't seen each other for years meet in the shop. The purpose is to develop the cafe side, so that the chatters can also sit down with a cuppa if they wish.
The local store is also important as a revitalization of the community of the village. In addition, it increases the level of local preparedness and enables car-free villagers to live in their own homes as long as possible. The store is within cycling or sledding distance, which is suitable for many people, so beneficial exercise increases.
Kouran is also a pilot village of the Future Villages 2.0 project. The village wants to develop the attractiveness of the region in many ways in order to maintain the services and the village school.