you never know unless you ask- i know of a number of shops that do accept people's quilts buying them outright to resell and on consignment- it is too bad she was not able to do it- the amish quilts i've seen up that way are beautiful- in fact i am saving to buy one my hubby & i saw last fall - if it is the same family it could be they have not had any traffic this winter and want to find a place to sell them- it is not 'odd' at all- in fact quite common- i'm a long-armer and have even had customers ask me if i could sell their quilts for them-
i hope they find somewhere willing to help them out-