Drugs Businesses are now fleeing Sörnäinen because of the atmosphere of fear – “We have to clean up the secretions from the locker rooms”

Open the rampant use of drugs, long-standing disorder and the general atmosphere of fear and discomfort in Helsinki’s Kurvi have swelled so bad that some entrepreneurs in the area have had enough and quit.

“Customers are no longer afraid to come inside the store. That’s the biggest reason we leave, ”says a marketing and communications expert Minna Auravuo Uffista.

According to Auravuo, there are daily passers-by leaning in front of the store, and sometimes they also get lost inside the store. This has led to threatening or unpleasant situations.

“Dressing rooms have sometimes also had to be cleaned of secretions such as vomiting or diarrhea. Someone changes clothes and leaves dirty there. In my opinion, there are also drug users in the gang. Once there was a stabbing in front of the shop, ”says Auravuo.

Uffi has had a clothing store in Kurvi on Hämeentie for almost ten years. In June, the whistles will be put in a bag and the store is currently selling out.

Uffin next door The clothing store Fida in Hämeentie has come to the same solution: operations will end this year.

The Fida store is located on the second floor, but access is via a stairwell. The stairwell has become one of the concentrations of disruptive behavior, says Fida’s development manager Tiina Haimila.

“People come into the hallway to spin and spend time in it. There is all sorts of mutual clarification and vague use of gaps. Older customers in particular have said it’s scary to pass by. ”

Fida has been operating on its current premises since 1993, ie for almost 30 years. There have been problem situations from the beginning, but in recent years the unrest has clearly increased, Haimila experiences.

“The disruption has worsened. It is so clear that there is a drug trade and a pill trade. There have often been threatening situations for our employees as well. It is a terrible situation for an employer when there is a risk of violence and danger in a store almost every day. ”

Both Fida and Uff have tried to solve the problems in various ways, including hiring a security guard for the store. However, for longer, it is not worth it.

“It will be really expensive if there is a guard on site all the time,” says Auravuo.

There have also been additional costs for entrepreneurs due to the fact that, for security reasons, there has had to be more staff than in other stores.

Steamed and Haimila is annoyed by the situation, because Kurvi is a great place to do business: a lot of people move about it every day. Uff and Fida are both looking for new retail space nearby.

“It’s been a really good business location. It is a pity that the situation has become so disturbing that the staff are scared. But we no longer want to be on the corners of Sörnäinen, ”says Haimila.

Chain restaurant Picnic has a store in Kurvi, and they are familiar with the problems as well.

“Now that Piritori is closed, Sörnäinen metro station is being renovated and there is no toilet in use, the team has moved right here in front of our store. They block the entrance, you can’t get out the door and new customers can’t get in, ”says Picnic Sörnäinen’s partner and restaurant manager Iiro Kinturi.

Kinturia is annoying especially on behalf of customers: the store has large windows overlooking the street.

“Customers see how the drug trade is conducted in broad daylight, no worries. And the mood of the street affects our business: it would certainly be 20 percent more sales if it were as clean and peaceful as at Töölö Picnic, ”says Kinturi.

Problem situations also bother the staff.

“We probably call the cops five times a week when there are some threatening situations. Last summer, one employee got his head inside. There should be no fear at work. ”

Helsinki police are aware of the problems in the area and patrol the area closely. However, no permanent solution has been found to clean up the area.

Picnic has still decided to stay in Kurvi for the time being.

“The area is untidy, but the location and transport connections are really good. However, there have been no plans to close the business as long as there are enough customers, ”says Kinturi.