In 2018, Loren and Karen were successfully working in the corporate world, but Loren was feeling stuck. Knowing that there had to be more to life than building someone else’s dream, he started exploring personal growth and entrepreneurship. Near the end of 2020, one of their friends brought an opportunity to them - a quilt shop in Omaha was for sale! Intrigued, they looked at the shop and talked about it, but they felt that it wasn’t quite how they imagined their dream. Thanking their friend for bringing them the opportunity, Karen mentioned “If the shop in Fremont (20 miles from Omaha) was ever up for sale, that might be the right fit.” After all, it was Karen’s favorite store! It was the place she called her "quilting home". She would make appointments with Scott A. Flanagan (now a fabric designer!) for a 20-minute shopping experience. It went a little like this; “I have 20 minutes on my lunch break to pick out fabric for this project, then I need to be on my way home,” and it worked! She loved the experience she had at the store, and if she was going to own one, it had to be similar. 

A few months into 2021, once again, their friend called and told them that their favorite quilt shop was up for sale. Karen was shocked! She asked again, “The shop in Fremont? After the conversation, she started to panic and asked Loren.  “If the quilt store is going up for sale, who is going to maintain my Handi Quilter machine?” Loren immediately said, “We will!” This was the opportunity they were looking for. Likely more Loren than Karen at the time. They immediately headed to Fremont and met with Kevin, got the full tour of the massive store, sewing studio spaces, some history, and then sat down a little with both Kevin and Leslie to learn about the interworking’s of Country Traditions.  For the next three hours, they started to figure out their future over drinks and wings. Could this be it? It was during this moment that they were in the beginnings of a grand plan, and they were all "N".

On Monday, July 12, 2021, Loren and Karen’s dream came true! They were the new owners of Country Traditions.  Carrying thousands of bolts in fabrics, widebacks, batting, and three brands of machines: Handi Quilter Longarms, Brother, and Pfaff.

In November 2021, they changed the store name to its current name, Nebraska Quilt Company.  They also added Bernina and bernette sewing machines, as well as Laurastar Ironing Systems.

In October 2023, they added Innova Longarms and are the dealer in Nebraska and the surrounding area.

In July, 2024, they added Bernina Longarms.

Since then, Nebraska Quilt Company delivers amazing experiences that inspire fun and creativity to the sewing community! Offering the same experiences to their employees, they want them to feel like this is a place where they can grow, thrive, and be a part of something bigger than themselves. Oh, and we do have fun doing it all, too! They love helping the sewing community find quality domestic sewing machines, longarm quilting machines, fabrics and products that keep their favorite activity enjoyable, exciting, and fun!

Nebraska Quilt Company, your premier sewing destination, is located in historic downtown Fremont, Nebraska. We are also always available at nebraskaquiltcompany.com. Need our help with something? Email us at contactus@nebraskaquiltcompany.com or use the chat button the website.  We always try to answer as soon as we can!