Figeholm was an important port during the Middle Ages. The merchants from Vimmerby would bring their goods there which later would be shipped to other ports on the Baltic Sea. The merchants would also buy goods from other towns. They had small ware-houses where their merchandise could be stored before it was taken back to Vimmerby. Some merchants from Kalmar and Västervik also had warehouses in Figeholm. They also had assistants, who did a certain amount of business in Figeholm.
The farmers who lived close by, could sell their butter, cheese, grain and meat to the merchants. They could also buy some of the foreign goods which came by ship to Figeholm.