Hi Some more links - sorry, they are in Finnish. Kindly send me e-mail if you need more help. Regards Marja Saviaro Relocation & immigration expert Return Ticket www.returnticket.fi http://www.byggmax.com/fi-fi/ http://www.bauhaus.fi/ https://www.netrauta.fi/portal/fi/ http://www.talotarvike.com/kauppa/index.php http://www.taloon.com/ I probably should not be answering, as I am a Texan who moved to Tallinn, Estonia seven years ago. I still suffer from sticker shock when shopping for power tools here, as things are much more expensive here than in the U.S. I assume you already have your favourite cordless tools, which you would be smart to bring along. Get a new charger once you arrive in Helsinki. (Check with your brand's service centre.) K-Rauta is the native big box store, and would be pretty hard to beat, I think. For power tools, they carry blue (professional line) and green (household) Bosch; also Makita, AEG, Metabo, and plus the chinese NuTool and the like. K-Rauta's hand tools are nothing special. They have Stanley, plus the inexpensive Ironside; FXA; and store-brand Prof, in a distinctive blue, are a nice budget saver, particularly for tool boxes and other storage. This flyer from K-Rauta just appeared in my estonian Inbox this evening. I assume that the Finnish stores have similar offerings and prices. Prices in Euros. http://157.144.2.77/epaper/k-rauta_ee/Tooltime_EST_spring_2013/desktop/index.html?article=1&page=1 Actually, my Makita service centre here in my neighbourhood offers the best deals on power tools in town, and the guys there are quite frank in their recommendations. Sadly, the Bosch service centre here does not sell products, except maybe special-order accessories. K-Rauta has a pretty good selection of building materials, both lumber and sheet goods. Without a doubt, you'll find special lumber yards, as birch forests are all over the region. You will have no problem with the language. Finns are pretty sharp folks. Be flexible, and be prepared to learn a lot. Good luck!

Shopping is not a ‘National Pastime’ in Finland for many reason – only about 5 million (population of greater Houston) in an area ½ of Texas with a language spoken only there (and Swedish as the second official language), i.e. Finland does not have a large market for multiple choices of items. Yes, Finns take their summers seriously because of the long winters, combined with typical European vacation and holidays, people have a plenty of time. As far as education is concerned, Finland ranks among top three in the world – Shanghai, China, Hong Kong, China (cities a size of a country) and Finland – all culturally homogenous societies – US is 26th. Population: 40 000. Järvenpää is very small city after London, so I understand your feelings, but still wondering - how much information did you get before moving?

Hey Marja, I know you wrote this like 2 years ago but now foreigners in Finland have the biggest organisation of all: www.finnbay.com