Our Story

Quite a Journey

It has been quite a journey for Kelly and I over the last 15 years. One of the biggest decisions we have made together was to go into a retail business, something neither of us had considered previously. We believed that Kelly and her love for everything sewing and quilting along with my entrepreneurial business spirit seemed a perfect match when we heard of a downtown sewing machine and fabric sales retail business that was for sale (The Sewing Gallery).

Jumping in With Both Beet!

The Sewing Gallery had been in existence since 1980, owned by Herb & Shirley Wildeman and for nine years previous to that as the White Elna Sewing Centre with Bill Harris and his wife at the helm who took over from another store owner. In all, close to 50 years of history was behind the store, so we felt it was a solid venture worth exploring. On July 1, 2004, we jumped in with both feet!

Updating and Renewing

The first order of business was to give the shop a bit of an updated look so we ripped out all the carpet at the 387 Graham Avenue store and put down a hardwood laminate to give the store a nice earthy feel and painted the walls. Secondly, we wanted customers to have a more panoramic view of the fabric so new fabric cabinets were built (they turned out very well if I do say so myself). Then over time, we added display furniture to match (Kelly’s choices) and reflect the pine look throughout.

Onwards and Upward, Pembina Highway

Based on customer demand, in the winter of 2005 / 2006, we slowly starting bringing in more quilting cottons and clearing out fashion fabrics. On our 2nd anniversary, we changed our name and moved our store to its new location, the 2400 square foot shop we now have at 661 Pembina Highway. We are very settled in at this new location and as of November 2010 - signed a 5 year lease extension at this location. Kelly loves to make changes the shop every so often to keep it fresh and interesting.

Marj, Phyllis, Shirley, Inez, Garry, Norm, Mel, Kelly and myself strive to meet the quilting and sewing needs of everyone that walks through our doors. We sincerely wish to bring the best possible products, services and experiences to you when you shop at Quilt as Desired! Please come and visit us ---- we'll have the coffee on (and of course it's Tim Horton's coffee!)