Kangasniemi Unemployed Association Shuts Down Thrift Store

The Kangasniemi Unemployed Association, known as Kangasniemen Työttömät ry, ended its operations at the end of January. With this closure, the association’s thrift store located on Teollisuustie also shut down permanently. The board of the association decided to discontinue the thrift store operation because it was no longer financially viable under its current operating model. According to operations manager Taina Turunen, the thrift store had been run mainly by just two people over the past year—herself and employee Heidi Keituri—along with a small number of individuals participating in job trial programs. The association was no longer able to bring in new participants eligible for employment through government-supported work schemes. Turunen explained that they did not dare to hire wage-subsidized employees because the association lacked the funds to cover salary payments. She noted that multiple factors contributed to the operation becoming unprofitable. Turunen stated that there is still a need in Kangasniemi for a service like the unemployed association’s thrift store, where local residents can sell their own secondhand items. The closure marks the end of an initiative that had provided both employment opportunities and a community space for selling used goods.