Hasselvika, Beret Anna and Sannan trading house

You have now arrived at Sannan in Hasselvika where Beret Anna Aarlott started a shop in 1878. At that time, she was 45 years old and a single parent to her 10-year-old son Johan Arnt. To be unmarried and raise a small child single handed was not easy at that time. She had had at least two children before Johan Arnt but they had died as infants. Beret Anna was an enterprising women who wanted to create a good life for herself and her son. This entrepreneurial lady was also very kind-hearted, this was shown when she took over the care of the orphaned Hansine from the neighbouring village. She was also a skilled and kind midwife to those who gave birth in the village. Beret Anna made a living by taking in sewing work and she also ran a small store. Eventually, she bought some land and established a shop on Sannan. In order to get supplies for the store she had to row and sail to Trondheim – which was a 45-kilometre stretch. The trip to the city was no doubt strenuous, but Beret Anna made it through the storms. Little Johan Arnt grew up and took over the trading business which had grown slowly but surely. At the end of the 1890s Agdenes fortifications were built in Hasselvika. This led to a good upturn in the store’s business. In 1900 a new store with a bakery was completed and 14 years later after some large hauls of herring which gave him good profit, he built a large merchant’s residence for families and workers. The houses can be seen on the other side of the road when you get to the square by the shop. He also built a pier for fishery use and a steamboat quay which are right next to the fast ferry quay. The store is still going and is today run by the 5th generation of descendants of Beret Anna. Without her courage and determination for her son the trading post would not be as it is today. Beret Anna is at rest in the churchyard in Hasselvika, she was the first person to be buried there in 1913.