Our History

Working with Artisans, Designers, and Customers for 55 years

Our original store, Casa de los Gigantes, was founded in the 1960s by a graphic artist from Chicago who visited Antigua and became enchanted with the city, its climate, people and culture. He settled here and developed the business to share the crafts of artisans from the Guatemalan highlands. Casa de los Gigantes was born. 

In 1995, (twenty-five years later!), Siggy, a Chilean-born crafts enthusiast, also fell in love with Antigua. With the store’s original owner ready to retire, she decided to continue his mission of bringing Guatemala’s tradition of wonderful crafts to the rest of the world. 

 Since then, we have expanded our range of handcrafted products to include accessories for the kitchen/dining, home decor, fashion, and special seasonal products for the holidays. 

Siggy Handmade

In 2022, we created our new brand name, Siggy Handmade. While we have been exporting on both a small scale and in wholesale as Casa de los Gigantes for more than 30 years, we wanted to reach a wider audience, with a brand that would communicate our personal touch and love for handmade artistry, selecting products that are ideal for the American and European lifestyle. We are looking forward to developing strong, long-lasting relationships with new customers! 

 

We are proud to be collaborating with:

  • Hundreds of talented artisans and partners all over Guatemala
  • Our team of 13 dedicated staff members in Antigua
  • Designers from both Guatemala and the United States
  • Large and small retailers in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia

Our products are now sold in:

  • The United States
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala 

We have also made significant investments in our own carpentry shop, and were the first organization in Guatemala to work with plantation grown teak. While initially working with highland pine in our carpentry shop, we now have a complete line of products made from teak from the lowlands of Guatemala, including centerpiece and fruit bowls, butcher blocks, benches, and floating shelves. 

Having started with a small selection of textiles, we now offer products, such as beautiful decorative cushion covers, made with traditional weaving techniques and new designs inspired by these techniques.

Accolades & Expanded Horizons

  • Members of AGEXPORT (Asociación de Exportadores de Guatemala), a non-profit organization which promotes Guatemalan exportation, for the last 20 years
  • Won AGEXPORT's Best Exporter of the Year Award in 2004

We have participated in various artisan fairs:

  • NWCF (New World Craft Fair) every year since its inception
  • Santa Fe Folk Art Market
  • NYNOW 

We are excited to continue our journey, bringing beauty to your home while innovating and collaborating with artisans to empower them and their communities over the next fifty-five years.