Shipping Association, originally started in Heinola, should be mentioned. The New York Mills Cooperative Oil Service was begun in 1930, with its first board consisting of William Halmekangas, Matt Heikkinen, Aale Höyhtyä, Walter Kuivinen, Charles Mäki, Sander Porkkonen, Victor Putikka, Jack Vainionpää and Otto Walliin; to this was joined the Farmers Cooperative Association, another oil business, founded in the mid-1930s and operating independently only about two years.

Businessmen operating on their own have existed in New York Mills, of course, even before the cooperative got their start. The first merchant in town was Jerry Winslow, to be followed by A. S. Blowers, and the first Finn to join their ranks was Olof Pary (Olli Pajari) who opened a store in June 1881. This firm expanded and soon included even a lumberyard annex. In 1886 the firm moved into the first brick building erected in the town. Pary kept his store for fourteen years, after which he moved to North Dakota. Returning later to New York Mills, he bought out the Farmers Mercantile Association, which he later sold to Carl Matala, while he himself continued to keep a seed and fish store until his death in 1933.

Hugo Almquist, who had been a clerk in Pary's store, set up his own store in 1893, but later sold it to the farmers' cooperative. Later dry goods merchants have included C. A. Anderson, J. L. Karvonen, V. S. Komulainen, Erick Koski, Einar E. Lauley, Kalle Matala, Edward Nylund, Edwin Sillanpää and William Trupukka. The latter also owned a big lumberyard, and Jack Muckala owned a glove factory. The hardware store owned by A. J. Sitz and August Newman in the 1880s was bought and continued under Finnish owners A. Lind and Antti Piilola, and the firm is currently known as the Piilola, Kela, Mattson and Company. With the advent of automobiles, Finns entered this field, too, and both Frank Lake and J. H. Mursu owned their own agencies; the firm founded by Oman and Stinar was continued by Väinö and Edwin Kela. In the petroleum field, the Mills Oil Company and the Stierna Webb Station have been Finnish enterprises. Yalmer Karvonen owns a furniture store, and Rudy Kangas and W. O. Muckala have owned a soft drink plant, the New York Bottling Company. There has been a jeweler, C. J. Kulla, and undertakers, including Y. Karvonen, A. C. Anderson and Jack Kampsula. Hotel and restaurant keepers have included Otto Karjala, H. Laiho (Merchants Hotel), John Marjamaa (Northland Restaurant), Carl Henry Perle (restaurant and bowling alley, 1912-1919) and Henry Puuperä.

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