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Martilla–Pettingel and Gorder General Merchandise Store
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	312 Main St., Frederick, South Dakota
Coordinates	45°49′57″N 98°30′21″W / 45.832519°N 98.505892°W / 45.832519; -98.505892
Built	1906 (1906)
MPS	Architecture of Finnish Settlement TR
NRHP reference No.	85003490
Added to NRHP	November 13, 1985

The Martilla–Pettingel and Gorder General Merchandise Store, more recently operated as the Frederick Community Store, is a store located at 312 Main St. in Frederick, South Dakota. Built in 1906, the store was originally run by Finnish immigrant August Martilla, Norwegian immigrant Paul Groder, and E. G. Pettingel. The store, which sold drugs, hardware, and general goods, closed a few years after it opened. In 1918, four Finnish immigrants opened a new store in the building, the Co-Operative Mercantile Store. Cooperative businesses were popular among Finnish immigrants, as agricultural work in Finland was frequently shared as well.

In the mid-1980s, with the store on the verge of closing, several dozen residents raised enough money to buy the store, which they operated as the Frederick Community Store. The store is managed by a seven-member board, with labor provided by volunteers. The strategy is one that has been used by several small South Dakota towns trying to keep the local grocery store open.

The store was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1985.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. The NRHP nominating form gives the address as 515–516 Main Street. However, the Frederick Area Business Directory gives its address as 312 Main St. (see "Community Store" under the heading "Groceries"). A 2017 photo shows the store on Main just east of 3rd Avenue.
3. Torma, Carolyn. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: The Architecture of Finnish Settlement in South Dakota" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
4. Hunhoff, Bernie. "South Dakota's Little Finland". South Dakota Magazine. November/December 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
5. Mondesir, Pascale. "Frederick community moves to save store". KSFY. April 12, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
6. "Small town trying to save community-owned grocery store". Mitchell Republic. March 31, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2017.

External links

• Community Store website

• v
• t
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• Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in South Dakota
• Commercial buildings completed in 1906
• Buildings and structures in Brown County, South Dakota
• Finnish-American culture in South Dakota
• National Register of Historic Places in Brown County, South Dakota
• 1906 establishments in South Dakota
• South Dakota Registered Historic Places stubs