About Shari & Danielle
We are Danielle O’Connor and Shari Feldman, co-owners of Chi Chi Amor, Inc. We met in Tampa, Florida, while pursuing our doctorate degrees in Anthropology. We became great friends and travel buddies, traveling together to some of our favorite places. In 2003, we visited Guatemala and spent much of our trip in Panajachel, on the awe-inspiring Lake Atitlan, visiting nearby villages and strolling through their markets, admiring the profound beauty of the woven textiles worn by many of the local indigenous people. A few years later, we both became mothers, and though our attention shifted to our families, it never drifted from our love of other cultures and our desire to return to Guatemala. As we watched our young children play with each other, we daydreamed about starting a clothing line that integrated Mayan textiles with contemporary “western” fashion. In 2006, we turned our daydreams into reality and took a few trips to Panajachel, meeting with several textile producers who were interested in working with us. This is the beginning of Chi Chi Amor.
“Chi Chi” refers to a town, Chichicastenango, where many textile producers in Guatemala reside. If you ask residents of this town where they live, they will most often say, Chi Chi. “Amor” means love, in Spanish, and for us, the realization of our idea, our friendship, the expression of our feelings for Guatemala and its people, and the deep love that we feel for our children and families… that’s Amor!
We are sincerely proud to offer our customers products that are beautiful, unique and simply adorable. Our products are handmade by small family groups who work with us in collaboration to design and produce clothing and accessories for children and some even for mommies. Many of our items are made from the same fabric that is used to make the traditional clothing worn by the indigenous people in Guatemala.