At all times Stolmen has been a fishing community, and there have been relatively many people living on the island. It was the local fishermen living there who made out the foundation for trading businesses at Kvalvåg. Fishing, fish handling and salting of herring were important elements in the activities.
During the buoyant periods around 1740, 1830 and 1910 there was a high level of building activity, and especially towards the end of the 19th century there was great optimism. A large storage hall for lumber was built as well as new quays, and Kvalvåg obtained a steamship agency. The new Møkstra church was also built here in 1892. Until the 1980s there was trading store, post office, fish handling and ferry agency in Kvalvåg. Today a separate foundation in Bergen Sailing Association owns and makes use of the old main building, a building from the 1800s close to the church. Extensive restoration work is afoot to make Kvalvåg into a centre and a place for spending the night, but in these days mainly for sailing, sea sports and recreation.