Entry No. 92 — the New Orleans file — filed under: hats
Meyer the Hatter
Sam H. Meyer opened a shop called Meyer's Hat Box on the first block of St. Charles in 1894, and the family has never left the block — it moved in 1937 and again in 1961, both times a few doors down. Five generations in, Sam Meyer II still works the floor three days a week at 98, and the room around him is a narrow canyon of hat boxes stacked to the ceiling: Stetson, Dobbs, Bailey, Bruno Capelo, Kangol, pork pies, panama straws, newsboys. Somebody measures your head, pulls three boxes you didn't ask for, and works the brim over steam until the shape stops arguing with your face. A good deal of the stock runs under $100, which is not what 'the South's largest hat store' sets you up to expect. Kermit Ruffins, Eric Clapton, Susan Sarandon and Elvis Costello have all walked out with something.
→ Three more vintage, record & maker shops in New Orleans — never the same twice
The story
Sam H. Meyer opened Meyer's Hat Box on the first block of St. Charles Avenue in 1894, and the family has never left that block. The shop moved to 136 St. Charles in 1937 and to 120 in 1961, which is roughly the distance of a long sentence. Sam's son Andrew came in during the 1920s; Andrew's sons Sam Meyer II and William took over after the Second World War; Sam II's sons Paul and Michael, with Paul's wife Pascale, run it now, and Cedric and Christopher Meyer make five generations. Sam Meyer II still works the floor three days a week at 98, and his wife Marcelle is in the store too.
The room is narrow and stacked to the ceiling with hat boxes — the shop bills itself as "The South's Largest Hat Store" and claims thousands of hats across better than twenty brands: Stetson, Borsalino, Dobbs, Bailey, Kangol, Resistol, plus western shapes, dress fedoras, pork pies, panama straws and women's hats. The prices are the surprise. The range starts around $65 and plenty of it costs less than $100, with panama straws running roughly $80 to $235 and dressier felt climbing from there.
It calls itself the oldest family-owned hat store in America, and the interior has not changed much since the 1890s: same narrow layout, same wall of boxes, same practice of serving whoever walks in. That it has stayed a working hat store rather than becoming a museum of one is why the customer list reads the way it does — Kermit Ruffins, Susan Sarandon, Eric Clapton, Sylvester Stallone, Elvis Costello and the Backstreet Boys have all bought here.
What it's like
You walk in off St. Charles into a corridor of boxes with barely room to turn around, and somebody asks what you're after before you've finished looking up. The transaction is a fitting rather than a sale: they size your head, pull boxes you didn't ask for, and adjust the fit until the hat sits right — say yes to two or three you'd never have chosen, because that is the whole point of going in person instead of ordering online. Weekday afternoons are calmest; Saturdays are busy and the staff work through people in order, so patience helps. They close at 5:45pm Monday through Saturday and mean it, and they're shut Sundays.
The move: Go at 4pm on a weekday — late enough that the lunch crowd is gone, early enough to beat the 5:45 close. Let them fit you both properly (the steaming is the show; watch it happen), then walk the four blocks down St. Charles to the Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt and drink one wearing the thing.
📍 Before you go Closed Sundays; Monday–Saturday 10:00am–5:45pm, and they mean 5:45. Phone (504) 525-1048. Head sizing is free and takes two minutes — do it even if you're not buying, because it changes what you reach for. Cash isn't required but the shop is old-school enough that patience helps on a busy Saturday. Easy walk from Canal Street or any CBD hotel; St. Charles streetcar stops a block away.
- 📍 New Orleans
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 120 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Sazerac House — Two blocks away at 101 Magazine, so you can go from being fitted for a fedora to three floors of cocktail history you can walk into for nothing.
- Hotel Monteleone — A short walk into the Quarter for a drink on the slowly revolving Carousel Bar, which is the correct place to wear a new hat for the first time.
- Hové Parfumeur — Six blocks away on Chartres, the same idea in a different medium — a family perfumery running since 1931 where the staff fit you to a scent the way Meyer's fit you to a brim.
More weird in New Orleans
Good to know
When are they open?
Monday through Saturday, 10:00am to 5:45pm Central, closed Sunday. The 5:45 close is not a suggestion — arrive by 5:00 if you want a proper fitting rather than a rushed one.
How much does a hat cost?
Entry-level hats start around $65 and a good deal of the stock stays under $100. Panama straws generally run $80 to $235, and dress felts and premium brands climb past $275.
Do I need an appointment, and do they measure your head?
No appointment. Sizing is done on the spot and takes a couple of minutes — worth doing even if you don't buy, because knowing your actual size changes what you reach for.
How do I get there?
It's at 120 St. Charles Ave in the CBD, one block off Canal Street and steps from the St. Charles streetcar — an easy walk from any downtown or French Quarter hotel. Phone is (504) 525-1048.
Can they ship a hat home for me?
Yes, they run a mail-order side alongside the shop and ship free within the continental U.S. on orders over $299, which is useful if you'd rather not fly home holding a hat box.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · frenchquarter.com
last checked: 2026-08-26