Second Saturday Art Walk - September 2021

Saturday, September 11

During the Second Saturday Art Walk each month in Old Town Bay St. Louis, you'll find cool deals, fresh meals and lots of art and live music!

Be sure to check out September's Second Saturday Hot Spots California Drawstrings, 131 Main Street, and The French Potager, 213 Main Street. Read more about these featured businesses below! 
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- by Caitlin Bourgeois

Following the destruction and hardship of Hurricane Ida, we’re looking forward to September’s Second Saturday more than ever. With so many of our neighbors from Louisiana in town, our hope is that normalcy and delight can be found in our monthly gathering for art, food and fun.

​From 4–7 pm, gallery openings and live music keep the streets humming with activity. ​

September's Second Saturday Hot Spots are California Drawstrings, 131 Main Street, and The French Potager, 213 Main Street.

This Second Saturday Artwalk column
is sponsored by

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California Drawstrings
131 Main Street

 
A good business owner is one who anticipates a need before their consumer knows they need it. Linda Keenan, owner of California Drawstrings, is this type of business owner and how she made her business into what it is today.
 

 
Linda opened California Drawstrings in 1983, a year before the World’s Fair came to New Orleans. She knew that her light-weight linen goods would be a must-have in the humidity and heat of the deep South. She started at the French Market, and she was right: sales took off, and California Drawstrings were a hit. She opened a shop at 812 Royal Street.
 

 
Thirty-eight years later, California Drawstrings can still be found on Royal Street in the French Quarter. A second location in Old Town Bay St. Louis joined the first ten years ago. The BSL shop recently moved into a great new location with on-site parking, right next to Serious Bread Bakery.
 

 
As one of the few retailers on the Gulf Coast that specializes in linen and cotton fashions, California Drawstrings has its share of loyal customers, and travelers also come to appreciate linen’s cooling qualities. The store features a full line of plus-size fashions as well.
 
Stop by California Drawstrings on Second Saturday to shop their lightweight linens, plus-size pieces, accessories and more.

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The French Potager
213 Main Street

 
Delightful to the eye, and useful - the perfect description for The French Potager.
 

 
Nestled on Main Street in Old Town Bay Saint Louis, one can’t help but be intrigued by the little shop with the palm-hand chairs in the fenced yard and the wafts of floral fragrances coming from inside. The interior of the shop is even more interesting and immediately draws in the shopper to search through the gifts, antiques and unique floral arrangements offered by Martha Whitney Butler.
 

 
The French Potager began life as a small antiques mall, later evolving to offer full-time floral services. Today, The French Potager delivers across the Gulf Coast, creating floral designs for weddings, corporate events and the best-dressed Gulf Coast homes. Butler incorporates exotic flowers from around the world, but she uses “as many local flowers as we can get our hands on,” she says, acknowledging the natural beauty found in our area. “My floral designs are largely inspired by the nature around me.”
 

 
Well known for her lady-head arrangements shared on social media, Martha is a true artist when it comes to piecing together her gorgeous pieces. She has been featured in Flower Magazine, Vogue Italia and Glamour Magazine. Accolades include being named Best Florist/Floral Designer in the state in Mississippi Magazine in 2018 and 2020 (runner-up in 2019 and 2021).
 
Visit with Martha and her team on Second Saturday; pre order a bouquet on her website and stop in to shop her unique finds!
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