Terri Leeman is the artist and designer of Speshell Creations. The North Carolina native grew up going to the beach with family and friends, and recalls daytrips with her grandparents to Carolina Beach in her younger years. She always had a fascination with shells and would often take home a plastic bucket full for show and tell at school. Fast forward to 2013. She and her husband Jerry had recently become empty-nesters, Jerry retired, and they sold their home in Raleigh and moved to Carolina Beach.
Long walks on the beach, and boat trips to Masonboro Island, Terri again found herself collecting treasures on the beach. She began creating pieces of art and oyster shell trees for family and friends. Then friends started asking for items they could give as gifts, and offering to pay. In 2017, she participated in her first vendor market, and Speshell Creations was born. What began as a passion-turned hobby became a full-time business in 2020 when Terri became a casualty of the COVID 19 layoffs. She’s not looked back.