The next day we drove an hour into the countryside to visit Fiskars village. This is where the company was originally founded in 1649 — at the time they made nails, wire, knives, hoes, and reinforced wheels, as well as cast-iron products like frying pans — but these days the town is more artistic hub than manufacturing center. The ironworks closed in the 1980s, and since then Fiskars has become home to more than 100 artists and artisans who form a cooperative that exists to promote the activities of its creative members.