Minnesota's oldest co-op the 'heart' of Finland

For more than a century, the Finland Cooperative General Store on County Road 1, in its namesake unincorporated community, has reflected the diversity of its residents and culture with a vast array of inventory that makes it more than just a grocery store.

It is the oldest continuously operating co-op in Minnesota and is one of the oldest in the U.S.

What makes it really stand out, however, isn’t its age. It’s a true general store in the tradition of generations of settlers throughout the nation’s history.

If someone needs an American flag for the Fourth of July — or maybe the St. Urho’s Day Parade — the co-op’s got it covered.

What about a gardener looking to measure the rainfall from week to week? Rain gauges are next to the flags.

From fruits, vegetables, meat and other groceries, to the nuts, bolts and screws of a hardware store, to oil filters and belts of an automotive store, if the Finland Co-op doesn’t have it, “you probably don’t need it,” according to co-op board member Honor Schauland.

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