Pandemic update: I was in the FQ on a lazy Saturday just wandering around and enjoying being outside and that the throngs of tourists were absent and noticed that this shop was having a sale. When I arrived I was one of two people shopping, so it was easy to socially distance. Everyone was wearing masks and you were allowed to try on clothes. I scored a couple of pairs of linen pants event though linen season was over.... well is it ever really over when it's mostly hot here? And a couple of dresses all for a very reasonable price. Call if you're specifically headed down to them and it isn't Saturday. Really this is a good idea for any FQ shop. Many aren't keeping their full normal hours with so few people spending money. read more

The best selection and best customer service. I shop regularly for my lady and it cannot be beat.

The Mr was looking for some nice Panama Shirts & there were lots of fun colors in the windows of California Drawstrings that beckoned us inside.... There were fancier shirts & more casual shirts - all in the same "Panama-style" we were looking for & we ended up getting 2 of the more casual solid colored & 1 fancy striped linen number that were so comfy & cool. Also saw a bunch of shorts, pants, jackets & hats.....they have it all! You'll find ladies' wares on the right-side of the shop & men's on the left The staff was outrageously nice & we had a great time chatting about their upcoming trip to San Francisco - hope yall love it!! Totally impressed & we'll be back for sure next time we're down South! read more

This store has gotten WAY too much of my money; every time I've visited New Orleans, I have bought another cool shirt here. Located on Royal Street in the French Quarter among art galleries, jewelry and antique stores, it's really two casual clothing stores joined into one - on one side is women's clothing and accessories, and men's on the other. On the men's side, it's got lightweight Hawaiian prints, Cuban-style, camp shirts, and some polo and t-shirts, pants, and shorts. Think of Charlie Harper's (Charlie Sheen's "Two and a Half Men" character) wardrobe without the alcohol and womanizing. I've purchased a number of New Orleans-themed Hawaiian shirts here, as well as Saints shirts. The patterns and colors of shirts are wonderfully diverse but you won't find many bargains here. However, it's still less expensive than most sports fan stores that sell some of the same items and the brands they carry are high quality. The selection is such that I almost always find something I can't live without and the staff is very nice every time I come. read more

Casual resortwear in cool cotton and featherlight linen- not exactly a New Orleans standard, I like this shop because of it's insane selection of Hawaiian print shirts. I was putting together a goody bag for a large bachelor party in town and found the perfect shirt for each gent arriving. If you're looking to go Hawaiian while in the Big Easy, this is the place. read more

Loved, loved, loved this place! The styles & selection were really unique. I especially loved their sales rack! I found 3 wonderful "tops" on the 50% rack, retail price of $194.85, for an amazing price of $106.88! The gentleman that assisted us was so complimentary & a pleasure to deal with. Unfortunately my friend had buyers remorse for the singular item she purchased only to find theye have a no refund policy, store credit only. Oh well, I'm still a happy camper! read more

Gorgeous clothing, terrible service! Terrible terrible service! I returned a garment the day after purchase because it didn't fit. On that day I purchased another $600 of clothing (total that trip: $1000). They never refunded my credit card and when I emailed and phoned to straighten it out they charged me an additional $65!!!!! Now I have to go through all kinds of craziness to prove to them that they did it and never refunded he original $75. Attorneys office is my next stop. For 25 years I've spent around $600 four times a year at that place. NO MORE!!!! read more

Dreadful place. Nice products, but not worth the constant glaring and staring. The staff seem to believe that every shopper is going to suddenly run off with a rack full of clothes. I have never felt as uncomfortable in any other store. Creepy. read more

We don't actually dress like this but if you live in New Orleans and are having a California-themed party -- go for it, just don't tell me about it and I won't tell you about what we wear when we have our New Orleans-themed parties. xo. read more

Only place in the greater NOLA area I could find with a great linen selection. Great help and lots of street parking for the quarter. Staff was very friendly and helpful! Needed linen pants for a beach wedding and found exactly what I needed. I'm not the easiest guy to shop for because I'm a bit bigger guy than most, but they had my size and plenty of selections. My wife was only coming to the store for me and actually bought 3 shirts for herself. She was very impressed. She will let her mom know about this store and her mom will love it! Great job all around! Thanks! read more

I bought the most gorgeous reversable jacket for Chinese New Year, and got scads of compliments when I wore it. It was at a rediculously low price as well. read more

This is one of my most favorite shops in New Orleans. The staff is absolutely fantastic. They will help you develop the most unique outfits. They truly know you the next time you visit the store. The merchandise is of excellent quality. I highly recommend this for shopping. McKenzie, A. read more

I Love this store! I wish I lived closer so I could drop in--you can always find what you want to look Fabulous ! You always turn heads when you wear these clothes--beautiful linen and in the South a must!! Linda also has a store BaySt Louis ! read more

Love this store- lovely clothes at fair prices. I think the owner and her staff are great. Consistent, helpful, pleasant. And I love the clothes. I just relocated to New Orleans and always would visit on my many trips here. Well, now I live here again, and will be shopping there whenever I can. Try it out - make your own decision. I have purchased many things there, and have been happy. I think its great! read more

I go out of my way to seek out small businesses, especially in my own neighborhood of the French Quarter. I have bought items for my mother from this store (albeit years ago), and have sent many people to it. Sadly, not any more. Friends were in town before Thanksgiving, we passed by and I commented on how lovely this store's items have always been, even pointing out an item hanging from the mannequin outside, idly mentioning was a pretty color. Lo and behold, I received that item from those friends as a thank you for hosting their visit. Unfortunately, as delighted as I was to receive it, it was neither the right size nor the right style. I looked online to see what the exchange policy was, could not find it but did find many Yelp reviews giving good marks for customer service, so I went in with high hopes. The woman behind the counter wasn't particularly welcoming, but I did come in rather quickly and directly to the counter (as I know the layout well!) so I may have taken her by surprise. The item in question was still tagged and in their bag; I asked for an exchange, saying that it had been a gift. In reply, the woman asked me for my receipt (I must say, with a bit of a scowl: no niceties or "let's see what we can do") I told her I did not have it, repeated that it was a gift (and since I am not sure which friend paid for it, I am loathe to ask them to produce a receipt from more than a month back.) She flatly told me, "we cannot return anything without a receipt." I was so upset by this ironclad no without any conversation or attempt to find a solution that I simply left the item there and walked home. Honestly, I love the items in this store, but I cannot afford them on my regular budget. I was so pleased at being able to pick an item out that I really liked thanks to my friends, that her brusque reply just took out the air from me. Let me be clear: No RETURN was requested by me, just an exchange. Here is where my many years of shopping in small businesses and working in high end retail come in, to offer some advice: If there are NO exchanges without the receipt, (a) put that on your website to reduce the embarrassment of my encounter, (b) buy a 5.00 stamp and stamp NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES on the price tag of all garments. However, I'd like to help them not lose any more business, so I am suggesting to them that they: (a) produce a GIFT receipt or (b) buy a 5.00 stamp with the date and "GIFT" when purchased on the garment price tag so exchanges can be offered. At the very least, soften your tone and do your best to APPEAR as if you care to SOLVE the problem for a customer rather than sounding as if you want to rid yourself of an unwanted interaction as quickly as possible. It's important to point out that great customer service is measured at the point when you handle a tricky situation well and everyone leaves feeling that the situation was handled fairly, not by how cheery you are when you process the credit card! This is the very type of interaction that reduces the number of locals and of savvy visitors;I've seen it happen dozens of times in businesses that forget that every new person through the door can be made into a return customer. We get millions of visitors every year to our neighborhood and I know that retail staff can forget to think about the local folks but they should remember that with only a few hundred thousand residents in our city and fewer still that come to the Quarter with their guests to encourage shopping, they'd do well to build a better customer service loop. I can guarantee that I will do my best to steer people away from this place, which, honestly makes me sad. I DON'T want to post a bad review or see any local businesses (especially one that has been around as long as this one!) not thrive, but I also want people to have a great experience when they come to the Quarter. I sincerely hope the owner and her staff think about exchanges and how they can refit their policy to encourage more people to be happy with their items rather than seeing another person never return. read more

I have shopped here for years and love the clothes; cool and comfortable especially on a hot summer New Orleans night!Employees are wonderful and the owner a sweetheart! read more

What a Treasure! I loved the store. The merchandise selection is the best. I have shopped here every time we make a trip to New Orleans. Its first on the list and when I come back to Tampa everyone comments on my clothes. Wish you would open a store in Tampa. read more

Nice selection of clothing for shall we say the older and 'big gal' set. Mostly all fabric is natural - cotton, linen, etc., the prices ain't cheap. Also, Royal Street rents ain't either so don't expect any bargains. Staff is 'mature' and the shop is so stocked as to be a problem if you are claustrophobic or 'hippy'. read more

Loved this store. The ladies working here were so kind and helpful. I bought and fabulous dress and was tempted by lots more! Beautiful and unique clothing and accessories. Was here on vacation and wish the website offered more so I could continue shopping from home! read more

My daughter was in desperate need for a pair of sunglasses once we arrived in New Orleans and since California Drawstrings was on the same street as out hotel, we stopped in and quickly found a pair for $20. Although my daughter usually doesn't pay $20 for sunglasses, it was the best we could do on short notice and so she purchased them. Unfortunately, the sunglasses broke 2 days later. My daughter was not happy since she paid $20 and only got 2 days of wear out of them so we decided to see if the store could help us out. We were on our way to the beach that day and working sunglasses are a must for the beach. We asked if we could just replace or repair the glasses but the lady pretended she could not remember us and said they were "cheap sunglasses and not meant for rough wear". My daughter is 17 not 7- there was no rough wear. They were rude and unhelpful. It was unacceptable that their reason for not being able to help us was that their own merchandise is cheap. A $20 pair of sunglasses should last longer than 2 days. To summarize this store was overpriced and the staff is unhelpful. read more

I've been shopping at California Drawstrings since the owner first began with a table at the flea market about 30 years ago! You KNOW it's a great store to survive in this economy that has decimated so many small retailers. Wonderful cute clothes, especially linen, for both men and women. Super jewelry, too, including the best bracelets, scarves and even beaded handbags. I love shopping here, as I not only find tons of cute clothes to buy for myself but the store stocks merchandise and lines I never see anywhere else. It's really nice not seeing yourself coming and going. I'm constantly asked by people who compliment my clothes where I got them. And contrary to what Sandy W. said, the service is stellar -- the staff really knows the stock, they help you if you need it but don't shadow you constantly in you just want to browse. Debbie is particularly nice, and has managed the place for many years. When Linda, the owner, is in the house, you can have a ball while you shop, as she's a riot. Last time I was there, I got the prettiest white herringbone linen jacket and matching slacks for my husband -- sold separately but together they made a gorgeous white linen suit for under $250, just perfect for a summer wedding we went to. Debbie advised that the line ran small so I got bigger sizes for him (she even ordered a jacket in a larger size for me and then phoned me when it was in!) and they fit him like a glove. I also got him a really beautiful Tommy Bahama celadon green linen sports coat -- looks super with white slacks and in our climate, it's practically year round wear, especially in the dark navy color they also carried. Again, Debby advised that that line ran true to size. When it's really hot, they'll offer you a bottle of water and will offer your waiting man a nice cold beer, too! Another thing the staff is good at is putting together gifts for wives and girlfriends who didn't accompany their man to N.O. -- the shop is full of men during Superbowl week looking for gifts to bring home for their wives and daughters -- they'll handle exchanges via the mail, too, if necessary. Don't miss a trip next time you're in the French Quarter! read more