Claudia Chisholm (above) was representing the luggage company she inherited from her father at a hunting and outdoors trade show when the business took a turn she never saw coming. Customers kept strolling in, looking at the high-end briefcases and leather goods, but nobody bought a thing. What they did ask for was conceal carry handbags. Chisholm was raised with no knowledge of firearms, but after being overwhelmed by request after request, she dove headfirst into a handbag line called Gun Tote’n Mamas (GTM). She quickly discovered there had never been many options for female firearm carriers, so that’s what she focused on. The number of women gun owners has skyrocketed in recent years, with conceal carry permits growing 111% faster for women than for men. That reality is crossing over into women’s retail, with an explosion of companies cropping up to cater to the growing market. Chisholm says the trend for conceal carry handbags is very much in an upward trajectory, and she’s onboard to provide for those needs.
