Cabecita de Ajo

Cabecita de Ajo is a gift and souvenir shop in Bilbao's old town. Its strange name — "little head of garlic" — is no accident. This was the nickname of a man who lived in Bilbao at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Cabecita de Ajo was a man over two metres tall with a tiny head. He possessed remarkable physical strength but was known for his kindness to everyone who approached him.

A century later, Ander Lantarón — founder of the Cabecita de Ajo shop — saw in this figure a symbol of the old town: unusual, unlike anything else, yet beloved by all.

In the same way, the Cabecita de Ajo shop is unusual, unlike other shops in Bilbao. And, as Ander hopes, everyone who enters will fall in love with it — just as all of Bilbao once fell in love with the strange giant with the tiny head.

The shop stocks jewellery, posters, ceramics, lamps, bags and textiles from local Basque Country designers: Bea Aparicio, Balma Studio, Mikel Casal, Lapretada, BaRock Jewelry, QUE RICO, Irune Izer and many others.

And although the shop also carries products from other countries, you won't go wrong with your choice: the counters of local designers are marked with signs bearing their names and photographs.