In case you cross-country ski in Minnesota, you’ve probably heard of Ahvo Taipale, the Finnish founding father of Finn Sisu and former coach of the University of Minnesota women’s Nordic ski team.

An icon within the Nordic ski community each in Minnesota and abroad, Taipale decided to sell his ski and sauna shop this summer after a 45-year run. Finn Sisu now belongs to a few longtime employees: Karen Weium, Tom Novak and Nate Rhode.

Weium said it took about 2½ years for the trio to purchase out Taipale, who was searching for his next adventure in life.

“I’m pushing 80 years of age and I believe it’s time that younger people run the show,” Taipale said, adding that he “enjoyed every minute of it.”

Born in Finland, Taipale said he learned methods to cross-country ski on the age of two and it was his important type of transportation to high school within the winter. He moved to St. Paul within the Nineteen Seventies and established Finn Sisu in 1978 on University Avenue. After 30 years there, he moved the shop in 2010 to its current location at 2436 W. Larpenteur Ave. in Lauderdale.

In case you’re wondering: Taipale says the word “Sisu” will not be Finnish for ski shop. He describes it as a Finnish concept of bravery. There isn’t a direct English translation, but Taipale said Sisu is akin to stubbornness, to not surrender or take no for a solution.

The Minnesota Nordic Ski Association presented Taipale its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 for his efforts and contributions to cross-country skiing in Minnesota. Along with running Finn Sisu, Taipale coached the University of Minnesota women’s Nordic ski team to 2 national titles and was instrumental in developing the Nordic ski trails at St. Paul’s Battle Creek Regional Park, including bringing snow-making to the ski area last yr.

While running the business, Taipale would visit Finland two to 4 times a yr, he said, to talk with sauna suppliers and visit his family. This week, for the primary time in 45 years, he said he visited his home country with none business appointments on his books.

He did admit to having one meeting while he was there, regarding the scholarship fund that he arrange in honor of his mother, who was a teacher. The fund gives yearly stipends to first- through ninth-graders to motivate them to proceed their education, he said.

While he doesn’t have any concrete next steps, Taipale said he desires to proceed to assist coach Nordic skiers and doesn’t have any plans to hold up his own skis anytime soon.

Latest leadership

Weium, who began cross-country skiing as an adolescent, was first introduced to Finn Sisu as a customer.

She got here to Minnesota for faculty and one yr found herself watching the American Birkebeiner, the biggest cross-country skiing race in North America that’s held from Cable to Hayward, Wis. The race takes place over several days and brings some 12,000 cross-country skiers, Weium said. She has since skied the race 37 times.

Weium began working at Finn Sisu in 2012, focusing totally on the shop’s website, she said.

“I’ve all the time had the very best jobs,” said Weium, who previously worked in publishing and music journalism.

Co-owner Novak began within the ski business in 1971, on the alpine side, and got here to Finn Sisu in 1992. “I even have been here so long, now I just must answer more questions,” he said of his recent role with fun.

A lifelong skier, Novak said he never anticipated becoming an owner but it surely was hard to show down when the chance got here up. “All of us had ideas and now we will implement them,” he said.

Rhode, the third co-owner, first began working for the shop in 2014, he said, while he was getting his mechanical engineering degree from the University of St. Thomas.

After graduating from college, Rhode left for some time to give attention to engineering, but then said he got here back with the intention of shopping for the shop.

Rhode said the trio functions well together because they each come from different backgrounds.

“We’re pretty fortunate, the ski community is large and growing within the cities, so we’re very lucky to have a very great community to assist support and grow with,” Rhode said.

While he could have gone to the open market to sell his business, Taipale said the brand new owners have first-hand knowledge in serving the Twin Cities cross-country community.

“It was obvious they may carry it on higher than anyone else,” Taipale said.

What’s to return

Business goes well for Finn Sisu, which has 10 year-round employees and customarily 4 to 6 seasonal employees for the winter, Weium said.

For the 2022-23 season, the shop sold 1,400 pairs of skis and over the past 12 months they’ve sold 85 saunas, Weium said.

Sales for the shop are often more skewed toward saunas, Weium said, which sell steadily year-round and keep the money flowing in the summertime months.

For the reason that onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhode said sauna sales have increased as more people learn concerning the health advantages resembling increased circulation, relaxed muscles and lower stress.

Since taking on, the owners have implemented weekly meetings for themselves and their employees to bring ideas to the table, Novak said, adding, “It gives everyone a voice.”

Rebecca Kolstad, who has been with the shop for six years, said morale has been high because the recent owners took over and the staff are given more of a say. Kolstad, who began working at the shop while she was in college, said she had tried to work other jobs that pertained to her degree but quickly got here back because “nothing beats this.”

The shop’s employees have expressed an interest in hosting more events, each on the racing side and academic side so more people can learn methods to cross-country ski. Weium confirmed the brand new owners are hoping to get out with the ski community more.

“We’ve been selling and selling and now we would like to start out recent ski races,” she said. The shop can also be taking a look at offering ski coach training in the autumn and beefing up its website.

“I’m excited to maintain working with the ski community and learn to evolve with them,” Rhode said. “We wish to do as much as we will to maintain moving and skiing forward within the cities.”