Lempäälä handcraft centre (Lempäälän Käsityökeskus), 12/09
 Mrs. Eräniitty preparing the candle course materials |
The November afternoon is dark and wet. The old railway station´s door is welcomingly open and the windows are decorated with lovely lights. Inside it smells like candle wax. Tonight there´ll be a candle course and the preparations have started, says Mrs. Titta Eräniitty.
Lempäälä handcraft centre is part of Taito Pirkanmaa ry which is a handwork association working in eight different municipalities. Mrs. Eräniitty defines Lempäälä handcraft centre´s goal: It is to cherish and support the handwork tradition and entrepreneurship. They do this e.g. arranging courses for people. They also sell local products in their shop.
Although the handcraft centre is part of bigger association, they can quite freely plan their activity depending on their own strengths and clients interest.
They arrange many kinds of courses for private people and groups. Groups can be associations, companies or school students. Before Christmas they arrange candle courses which are really popular. One course can have 20, even 30 people at a time.
 Mrs. Ojala is making lovely christmas presents |
Christmas is the busiest time of the year
They do everything with the help of two energetic women: Mrs. Titta Eräniitty and Mrs. Sirpa Ojala. This year they have a little extra help: a teacher in Sääksjärvi.
Mrs. Eräniitty has a diploma in crafts and design and Mrs. Ojala has a diploma in crafts education. These ladies sure keep it busy: Even the opening hours change and the weekends are closed, in December the centre is open every day, during the week 9-17, Saturdays 10-14 and Sundays 12-16. Christmas is by far the busiest time of the year.
The handcraft centre’s hall can be rented for parties and events. The clients can use a catering company or make the smaller reservation from these two ladies.
Mrs. Eräniitty says that it has been a nice autumn and the recession doesn´t really show. Just on contrary, it has been rather busy. Maybe as the people have more time from their work, temporarily or because of a longer absence, they have more time to make things by their own hands.
 Charming christmas products |
Learning from Näpsä
A significant part of the Taito Pirkanmaa are the Näpsä handiwork schools, where they give basic education in arts. Lempäälä handwork centre has 6 children’s group, as well as adult and senior groups. In addition, there are 2 children´s groups in Akaa. This year the youngest näpsä-children have done e.g. rain instruments, lanterns and albums.
The older children have produced rattan-paper-lanterns and tunics. Next time they are going to produce books.
In addition to these groups, they have had also a group of special children.
No wonder that the facilities seem small sometimes. Now they are happy of a new room that became the work room for Näpsä groups. But they still need more space. They have tried to avoid the small spaces by dividing the courses in Lempoisten school.
 Lempäälä linen cloths are well appreciated |
Plenty of ideas
Mrs. Eräniitty has plenty of ideas. She would like to have more souvenirs with Lempäälä-theme. There are already Lempäälä linen cloths and kettle holders, but she says there is more demand for this kind of products and they will do them by themselves or produced by the local art workers.
Mrs. Eräniitty tells that she has been working in Lempäälä for 5,5 years. During this time she has created good contacts with the municipality. They cooperate a lot especially with culture section, but also with others, such as Lempäälä information centre.
The facilities in the old railway station are nice and cosy and despite the small facilities the place is quite functional.
 Ratapuoti shop is filled with beautiful products |
The painting rack is waiting..
If there was more spare time, Mrs. Eräniitty would use it in panting and drawing. Now her spare time is filled with etno dance and her family, which consists of her entrepreneur husband and 3 children: 8-year old daughter and 14- and 17-year old boys.
When she says she takes care of her husbands paper work, one must wonder how she finds the energy for all this! Maybe it comes from the idyllic station, maybe it is the result of being able to be creative and surrounded by all those lovely products that the old station house is filled with.
(The handwork centre was visited by Mrs. Päivi Nahkola)
