The licence of the 20th pharmacy in Helsinki, called The Raven, was issued on the 23rd of December 1926 to Edvard Keto who had managed Pharmacy nr 2 in Vaasa since 1907. The Raven Pharmacy operated at two different locations before it was moved to the present premises in the early 1940s.

The interior of the pharmacy was furnished with traditional wooden shelves and drawers. They created an impressive atmosphere, although they were in fact second hand pieces apparently from Vaasa. Some were made of pine and stained to imitate oak.

In 1995 the Pharmacy was given a new commercial but bright and neat appearance, corresponding to contemporary pharmacy practices. The pharmacy adopted modern coputerized dispensing and stock-control making it possible to dispense prescription drugs without delay. The over-the-counter products where displayed in a self-service department and the stock was gradually tripled. The official name of the pharmacy was changed to Kauppatorin Apteekki, The Market Place Pharmacy. However, the Raven is still to be seen at the corner of the building.

The Raven

The original Raven was sculpted by Matti Antero Syrjälahti from Mäntyharju, who worked in Helsinki as a furniture maker. However, in 2001 the 60-year-old Raven was found to be in such a bad condition that it had to be replaced.

I was a pleasure for Jennifer Rung, a woodcarver working in Porvoo, to realize the new Raven, particularly since she remembers having made many dates under the Raven while studying in Helsinki. The material is larch-wood finished in a bronzed varnish by painter Airi Kallio.

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