Entrepreneur revives Siilinjärvi service station despite bank’s doubts

Entrepreneur Pekka Ryynänen is bringing Viitostupa, a service station in Siilinjärvi, back to life despite his bank initially refusing to finance the purchase, Yle reports.

The service station had been put up for sale at auction. Ryynänen made the highest bid in an online auction, but his bank told him it would not arrange financing for the deal.

“My purchasing gloves flew so far out of my hands that they had never flown that far before. But I always went back to get them,” Ryynänen said, according to Yle.

He later arranged financing with a private party and bought Viitostupa directly from the bankruptcy estate.

Viitostupa is about 60 years old and has served not only motorists but also local residents as a meeting place. Villagers refer to it as the “Parliament of Pöljä”.

The number of roadside stopping places like Viitostupa has declined considerably since the 2000s. Ryynänen said he is not seeking financial profit and hopes the business will simply cover its own costs.

The previous operators closed the station in summer 2025. Residents had asked Ryynänen, who lives nearby, to restore the service station.

“Viitostupa has been important to me. I even met my current female companion here,” he said.

Restarting a service station that has stood empty for more than a year requires cleaning the premises, flushing the drains and applying for various permits. Ryynänen is negotiating fuel distribution with an outside operator.

The service station is scheduled to open in October. Ryynänen also plans to build a dance pavilion on the shore of a nearby lake.