I am Dennis Victor and am located in Beautiful West Des Moines, Iowa. Our location is in beautiful Des Moines Iowa!
Fishlips3 Beads & Blues

I first started in the Jewelry business stringing beads at 17 years old and selling them to my Hippie Friends. (yes...long hair and a beard!) I started a company in the Detroit area in the 70's called "The Beadman". Working with all natural items from wood to peach pits I made and sold my items to individuals, stores and distributors.

At that time also I picked up my first harmonica and listened to my first Blues record (remember vinyl?). I was so hooked I had the Blues! I spent a summer trying to learn to bend a note. And after about a zillion hours of playing I woke up one day and could bend the notes. I don't think that tuning my harps in Vodka helped much. (The draw notes were killer)

In the mid 70's I moved to Florida, (have you ever been to Michigan in the winter?) and became a Silversmith and then a Goldsmith. I did a lot of art shows in and around the Florida area and won many awards for my fabrication designs. For a while we had a showroom at the Miami Merchandise Mart. But eventually all good things must come to an end...got married, had a family and decided it was time to become part of the grown ups! (well not all good things!)

During this time I still played but not as much. I carried a harmonica with me where ever I went and still do today. You never know when B.B King will show up and need a Harp Player!

So I became "A Suit" and managed fine jewelry stores in Florida. (Great a Harp Playing Blues Feeling Suit! Could this be a song?) Getting my G.I.A. Gemologist degree and became an appraiser as well. Somewhere along the line things progress and I did less and less making of jewelry and more and more "Suit" duties. Went to work for a Service Merchandise running 16 stores in 5 states. Traveled 200 flights per year and was the perfect "Suit".

I got to tell you that the people around me on the plane were not all that friendly when I wanted to play harp. Look when you spend that many hours traveling you have the Blues...why not express it!

Pretty exciting isn't it! NOT! Quit a while ago and started my own business in the great state of Iowa! Then in February of 2001 gave birth to Fishlips3 as an online place to shop out of my home.
In March of 2006 Fishlips3 Beads & Blues our brick and mortar store opened. Come and visit! You will be greeted by Hobo the Cat, he is our executive door greeter!

I have played harmonica for 40+ years. And consider myself a connoisseur of Blues! I sit in at local Blues Clubs and play the harmonica. I am a member of the Blues Society here in Des Moines as well as SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonicas), HCI (Harmonica Collectors International) and have a collection of Antique Harmonicas of over 900 different styles.

There is no such thing as bad blues. There is no such thing as too many harmonicas. There is no such thing as the Easter bunny (unless you are a kid reading this) and there is no way I can play Country Music.

Speaking of Country Music...do you know the difference between Country Music and Blues? The fundamental difference is this: in Country Music the dog always dies and the women always leaves her man! In the Blues, the woman always changes the lock on the door, kicks her man out and he moves in with the dog.

Well thanks for listening to me rant. If you have any questions and I am in the mood to answer...just let me know. And don't be afraid to get a harp and learn to play!!!

Fishlips3 is your source for Unique, Antique and Exotic Quality Beads, Jewelry and Supplies from all over the World!

"No Lip Service...Just Great Stuff!"