Postcard shop right in the heart of Helsinki

 

I've always wondered why the Finns were keen on postcards.

They are overrepresented on the postcard exchange site, postcrossing.com and take pride in their choice of cards 

Then, on a trip to Helsinki in 2016, I found this store, a dedicated postcard and stamp emporium right in the centre of town.

 Translated from the website: "Merkki-Albert is a brick-and-mortar store specialising in the sale of stamps and postcards in the heart of Helsinki on Annankatu. About half of Merkki-Abert's selection is stamps or postal items, and half is postcards. If you want to sell, buy, or view, are a passionate enthusiast or are simply interested in stamps or postcards, Merkki-Albert welcomes you."

Boxes and boxes, row after row, the shop was chockers with beautiful postcards aimed at serious collectors (or deltiologists).

Harri Kuusisto, owner and founder tells us his story:

"I was born in the “Year of the Dog” in 1958 according to the Chinese horoscope. My collecting hobby started on Christmas 1968. Santa Claus brought a bag of stamps and a small folder for them as a gift. That Christmas, no other gift interested me, because the stamps completely fascinated the little boy. It felt like I had fallen into the so-called “deep end” from which there was no escape. The collecting fly had bitten me properly. All Christmas night, until the early hours of the morning, I glued stamps to my folder and admired them. I already suspected then that stamps would always define my life in some sense. For the next two years, I read an enormous amount of philatelic literature, everything I could get my hands on. As my thirst for knowledge grew and my skills developed, I firmly decided at the age of 12 that I would one day become a real stamp dealer.

Row after row .. (RE)

"I followed my dream, working other jobs, until I founded my current business, Merkki-Albert, at the age of 25 in 1983. My expectations were not very high at first. I thought that I would wait a couple of years to see if the business would work, and I would be able to make a 12-year-old boy’s dream come true. I have now been a stamp dealer for 37 years, and these years have been very eventful and interesting. These years have included four so-called “recession periods”, so there have been difficult times, but luck has been on my journey. I have had very good people supporting me and without their contribution, Merkki-Albert would not have been successful. A big thank you and a hand on my heart to them. Unfortunately, not all of them are with us anymore.

You never know what you'll find at Merkki-Albert (RE)

"I have been a strong collector myself from the beginning. Over the past years, I have collected many different collections. Some I have given up, some new ones have come in their place. At the moment, I am seriously collecting ten different collections, which I am actively developing with all my energy. 37 years as a stamp dealer is a long time. I am still living the same little boy's dream. It started one Christmas night - a long time ago... "

If you're ever in Helsinki, be sure to visit his store at Annankatu 16, FI-00120 

All photos: Roderick Eime