The Blue Mussel

The Blue Mussel - Overview
Creative Gifts Inspired by Nature
The Blue Mussel has been in business since 1962. The shop is located in Naples, FL. in the heart of Fifth Ave. South. We have built our reputation by having the most beautiful and unusual decorative shells and coral from around the world, along with an assortment of jewelry, candles and hand carved wood products. These are just a few of the many unique gifts which can be found in our store. We hope you will look through our web site to find other nautical related items that may be of interest to you. We are always ready to work with you in finding what you need.

The Blue Mussel - About Us
The Blue Mussel was opened in 1962 and still is in the original location at 478 Fifth Ave. S. in Naples, FL.  In 1997, the store was purchased from the original owner by me, Larry Liss, a New England transplant.

Today, the business continues to thrive selling the most beautiful sea shells, coral, jewelry and unusual gifts from around the world. Along with my official greeter," Mulligan", a yellow Labrador retriever, and my staff of knowledgeable employees, we are always eager to answer your questions and assist in any way we can.

The Blue Mussel - Our Store
Our shells, coral and other gift items come from many countries. Many of the shells come from the oceans of the world. Most are a food bi-product where the animals found in the shells are a food staple for many countries. Then the shells are sold to markets such as the U.S. where many collectors buy and sell them.

The rarest shells can be found through estate sales or through other private collections. Shells from time to time will appear on an endangered or protected list. This can make a certain shell very valuable if one has a certain number of them in their collection which they may have gotten before the ban. We specialize in hunting these shells down for our clients.

Shells mostly come from the Philippine Islands. They also come from places like Africa, India, Mexico, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and the U.S. Coral has come from the South Pacific mostly, but is now banned from importing it to the U.S. Coral which is already in our country is "Grandfathered" and can still be sold legally.

Our jewelry is all handmade from the Philippines and Mexico. Our Ironwood carved figures come from the Sonora Desert near New Mexico and Arizona, and our Oaxacan "folk art" carvings come from Mexico and carved by the Zapote Indians.

Our shell candles are made locally and holiday shell ornaments are also made locally. We also carry fossil shark teeth and ammonites which date back some 25 - 60 million years.

The Blue Mussel - Interior Decorators
Interior Designers are a welcome part of our business. We have been working with our clients for many years and understand their needs and wants. Through our many contacts, we are able to find whatever a designer may need for a project, if we don't already have it in stock.

To learn more about The Blue Mussel click on the "visit our website" link at the top of this page.