Have you heard the word? There’s an exciting new shop on the Outer Banks that you absolutely need to explore!
Nestled in the Scarborough Lane shops right in the heart of Duck is a brand new location of The Spice & Tea Exchange, owned by Terry Bell and her daughter Megan Scott.
The Spice & Tea Exchange operates under one mission, “Creating & sharing the experience of a more flavorful life,” and in doing so, they’ve brought a one-of-a-kind shopping experience and 18th Century Trading Post retail concept to life right here on the Outer Banks. And let me tell you, it is beautiful!
Like many of us, Terry did not always live on the Outer Banks. She was a special needs teacher in Northern Virginia for over twenty five years before moving to the Outer Banks to help get her husband’s construction business up and running. She then opened and operated Outer Banks Restaurant Tours for five years while Megan was an operations manager for a local property management company.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Terry for a while now, we first met about five years ago while I was documenting one of her restaurant tours in the town of Duck. Before our tour was done, it became very clear to me she had a passion for food as well as a desire to share it with others. It’s easy to see how these shared interests could turn, once again, into something special.
In December of 2015, Terry and her husband were spending a long weekend in Asheville, NC when they discovered The Spice and Tea Exchange. “I was immediately drawn to the concept. The store was very appealing and the products were so varied and different from anything I had seen before.” Terry says. “I spent a good amount of money in that store (on gifts, of course). After the holidays, the store still stuck in my mind. I decided to look into it to see if was a franchise, which it is. Megan and I share a love of cooking and an enjoyment of different foods and cuisines, so she was interested as well.”
After speaking with the franchise representatives and visiting their distribution center, they decided that they would pursue the opportunity of opening their own store.
“Thankfully, we have found that the business is a good fit for us. We both enjoy talking to customers about the products and offering suggestions about how they can use them. We offer special events every afternoon during the summer months. We have Spice Trivia on Mondays at 4pm, a Tea Tasting on Tuesdays at 4pm and Thursdays at 10:30am, a cooking demo on Wednesdays at 5pm and Fridays at 4pm, and a Blind Tasting on Thursdays at 4pm. It’s been fun to design these events and watch people enjoy them. That being said, we also want to appeal to our local community, so we are planning events to offer during the off-season as well. We are also looking forward to participating in some of the local food events in the coming fall and spring.”
They offer more than 140 spices, over 80 exclusive hand-mixed blends, 16 naturally-flavored sugars, an array of salts from around the world, and more than 30 exotic teas. They also focus on providing high quality products and accessories to home cooks, chefs, and tea lovers in an old-world spice traders’ atmosphere. And it’s really, really cool!
When visitors step into the store, they are immediately immersed in a sensory experience where they can explore, open the jars and smell, engage with all of their offerings, and speak with Terry and Megan who truly love what they do.
It really is the people and their passion that sets businesses apart these days… and it’s so easy to see the happiness and enthusiasm in Terry and Megan when you visit The Spice & Tea Exchange.
You can connect with them on Facebook, read about their product included in our Summer 2017 edition of the Outer Banks Box, and of course, make sure to stop during your next visit to or through Duck to experience this firsthand!
Tell them the Outer Banks Box crew sent you!
The owners of The Spice & Tea Exchange have also extended a special offer to our subscribers and readers. Get the “Outer Banks Box” 10% OFF discount when you browse online, then order via email at duck@spiceandtea.com!