Photo by Jim Muchlinski
Heather Rokeh and Michelle Salfer work inside their Graceful Marilyn Quilt Shoppe.

Heather Rokeh and Michelle Salfer found out what it’s like to be considered the best in their business. Their Graceful Marilyn Quilt Shoppe in Marshall won a regional award in the worldwide contest sponsored by the byAnnie.com online quilting supply company. The region includes all of Minnesota.

Rokeh and Salfer decided to enter the contest because of the potential to generate publicity for their shop and to be awarded special sales opportunities. “We carry byAnnie products, so their contest seemed like a good opportunity,” Rokeh said. “It made sense to throw our hats in the pool.”

A total of 76 quilt shops in Minnesota entered the contest. There was a total of 821 entrants from throughout the United States.

Graceful Marilyn received 136 votes from customers to win the regional award. The second place finisher received 89 votes. Every customer who voted was required to write a comment about why they decided to vote for their quilt shop.

“The customers won it for us,” Rokeh said. “The best part about winning was being able to read the comments. We enjoyed seeing what they like about us.”

Graceful Marilyn was launched in 2021 when Fabrics Plus owners Tracy Veglahn and Cami Rosenboom decided to retire. After careful consideration, Rokeh and Salfer decided they could step in to fill the void.

“At first we just thought we’d get a good deal on fabrics,” Rokeh said. “The more we looked at it, the more we thought it was possible to have our own shop.”

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