| Kirppis Days! |
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| By Yve Thorn | ||||||
| Tuesday, 25 October 2005 | ||||||
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The autumn usually heralds the beginning of a new schedule due to school, new hobbies, and the daylight creeping away again. This is also the time when many newcomers arrive in Oulu, and so it seems most appropriate to introduce (or remind some of us about) the many ‘kirppis’ in and around the city. Kirppis is the shortened form of ‘kirpputori’ - the Finnish flea market and a great source of low- cost goods – basic and luxury items! Each area of the city has at least one kirppis, sometimes more, and they are usually open Monday to Friday, (some stay open as late as 20:00). Quite many are open Saturday for a half day, and a couple are open on Sundays too. You can go to these shopping “grottos” in two frames of mind – either on a hunt for specific items or as a way to while away an afternoon and browse to your heart‘s content. The kirppis is run by shop owners who will rent out a table to you if you need to sell your unwanted items – those things which you start to store in the basement, because they are just too valuable to throw away! The rental cost is around 25 to 30 euros a week, and the rental price includes the services of the cashiers, who at the end of the week (or as long as you want) will give you your receipts and cash.  Yve's Thorn jug collection The most central kirppis in the city is the Week Shop on Isokatu. One of the largest would be the Second Hand Store on Lippitie (www.secondhandstore.fi), not to forget the Re-cycling Centre behind HalpaHalli in Toppila. The rest are scattered in shopping plazas, behind apartment buildings, and in industrial areas – so ask the locals and they will be able to direct you to their favorite. Recently a few people have started to copy the North American-style yard sale to sell unwanted items, and I’ve also seen some open-air kirppis markets organized by local neighborhoods for a single day or morning. But, with the usual long Finnish winter, an afternoon spent browsing round a warm indoor flea market has a cozy appeal! Many flea markets will also serve coffee, pulla and other snack foods to keep you full of energy for the treasure hunt!
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