above: Mary’s Quilt Shop is located
in an 1813 Federal style building.
In 2009, Mary and her husband Joe
bought the property and restored it,
opening it as a quilt shop in 2011.M
ary’s Quilt Shop is a
sprawling store that fills
most of a bright blue
historic building in Bedford,
Pennsylvania, a community of about
2,800 approximately 100 miles east
of Pittsburgh. Although the shop has
been in existence less than 10 years,
the genesis of the business started
with a babysitter and a book more
than four decades ago.
That’s when shop owner Mary
Koval came home from work one
day to find her college-age babysitter
reading a book on quilting. “We got
to talking about it,” Mary says, “and
she lent me the book.” Mary was
motivated enough by what she read
to start a quilting business. To that
end she borrowed $200 from her
grandfather. That year she made and
sold 13 quilts.
Around the same time, Mary’s
husband, Joe, a carpenter, was on the
hunt for a piece of vintage furniture
but not having any luck in local
shops. An antique store ownerThe painted pale
green trim and bright
white walls create
a soft backdrop
for the vintage and
reproduction style
quilts on display.
SHOP OWNER
Mary KovalESTABLISHED
2011SIZE
3,000 square feet plus
retreat centerMORE INFO?
marykovalantique
quilts.comBedford