Figeholm was an important port during the Middle Ages. The merchants from Vimmerby would bring 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 as well as some merchants from Västervik, also had warehouses in Figeholm. They also had assistants, who took care of a certain amount of business there.
The farmers who lived around Figeholm, had an opportunity to sell butter, cheese, meat and grain to the merchants. They could also buy some of the foreign goods which came by ship to Figeholm.