California Drawstrings

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 Unilocal 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.

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!

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!

I would like to add an update to my previous review, due to the fact that the owner, Linda, contacted me showing great concern for our unpleasant experience. It turns out that I had met her during our visit (I mistakenly thought that the men’s side and women’s side had different proprietors/​managers). Linda was really sweet and obviously truly cares about her customers. As such, I will happily stop by again the next time I am in New Orleans.

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!!!

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.

What a hoot Went during the Kentucky derby and they were serving mint juleps! My husband found a beautiful linen shirt and
linen pants that he wore on the cruise and I got the most gorgeous linen set from a line i’ve never seen in my travels
called banana blue. We will definetely stop there next time we are in the French quarter

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!

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.

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.

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.