'Swanky' Alumna Starts Shell Company

While there may be shells aplenty strewn across the sands of most beaches, Cameron “Cammy” Griffin, Class of 2011, discovered a lack of pretty ones on retail shelves. She has since established Swanky Shells, a commercial line of decorated shells that can be used for party favors, decorations, home décor, and more.

“I wanted to have decorated shells at my upcoming bridal shower for guest favors and tablescape decor, but I could never find ones that were fairly priced or in fabulous patterns. So I decided to try it out myself and put my own specific spin on them. After making a batch, I quickly realized I was sitting on a business,” explained Cammy of her quickly growing business, which is based out of Boston and Cape Cod, Mass.

When she’s not designing oyster shells, Cammy sells media and advertising sponsorships for Wayfair.com. She graduated from Bates College in 2015 with a double major in art history and American history. At Hamden Hall, Cammy was a Lifer, having attended since PreKindergarten.

Cammy started Swanky Shells at the beginning of the quarantine in 2020. Since that time, she said she has seen “incredible growth and engagement” across her digital media platforms (swankyshells.com). She has already expanded her line and maintains that her product line is different because of the four Ps: prints, pricing, personalization, and profiles.

“We decorate anything we can get our hands on. Oysters have our heart, but we’ll dress up any and every shell imaginable. I love to collect designs that inspire me. There is no larger selection in the market, and I realized there was a huge gap in the market when it came to prints and pricing,” she said.

In addition to her new company, also new for Cammy will be her marriage in June 2021 to her college sweetheart, Ben Porter! The two met their first week of freshman year at Bates and have been together since, noted Cammy. The wedding will take place on Cape Cod.