It’s In The Bag: Concealed Carry Purses Meet Her Needs
The Rugged Rare Smith & Wesson Structured Handbag combines style and practicality
with a built-in ambidextrous holster compartment for easy, discreet carry.
Once treated as a forbidden subject, off-body concealed carry is becoming more mainstream as everyone realizes on-body is not always practical, or even desirable for women.
Now, instead of just telling women, “Never carry in a purse,” manufacturers and retailers understand they will carry in a purse if they need or want to. So, the best thing to do is offer a quality product that will provide safety and utility as well as comfort.
As carrying off-body becomes more popular, women are looking to smaller retailers, not just the big-box stores, to have the purses and bags they are searching for.
For retailers still considering stocking concealed carry purses, we spoke with three manufacturers to find out about the information and support they provide to their retail partners, followed by two retailers who shared their thoughts.
The Manufacturers
Lady Conceal
Diana West, founder of Lady Conceal, gives us a rundown of the support they provide to retailers who carry their brand:
• Access to a Dropbox folder with high-quality product images, model lifestyle shots and promotional videos
• Email notifications regarding low inventory and out-of-stock items
• Same-day support via phone or email for any questions or issues
• Free shipping promotions for wholesale orders
• Flexible ordering options: Wholesale customers can either email their purchase orders for processing or they can place orders directly through the wholesale website
• For drop-shipping partners, orders can be placed through Lady Conceal’s website, with the ability to upload custom packing slips and shipping labels
The most common question West gets from retailers is what are Lady Conceal’s wholesale prices and minimum order quantities.
“Most retailers want to know how much it costs to get started, what the margins are and the minimum they need to order to open an account. Our initial minimum order is $300,” she informed.
MAP pricing (Minimum Advertised Price) is another common concern.
“At Lady Conceal, our MAP is 15% off MSRP. This helps protect retailers from being undercut, especially on Amazon,” she explained.
West shared her company offers keystone pricing, so retailers are getting the bags at 50% off MSRP.
“This enables retailers a strong markup and a good profit,” she noted.
Finally, for those dealers concerned about retention, West said each bag comes with a universal holster.
Gun Tote’n Mamas
Claudia Chisholm, founder of Gun Tote’n Mamas (GTM) is a powerhouse in the business of concealed carry bags and purses. She said the most common way they find retailers is through trade shows, followed by direct outreach and recommendations.
As for the support GTM provides to retailers, Chisholm stated, “We are proud to have developed a solid, holistic back-end support system for our dealers, which I believe should be the standard in the industry.”
According to Chisholm, this support includes everything from providing best-selling product recommendations and ensuring orders are fulfilled correctly to having a Display Program and offering GTM manuals and other content.
“We are especially proud of our Find-A-Bag and PreLoved programs and workshops, which we coordinate in partnership with Donna Anthony of Point Blank Firearms. And we direct further education for instructors with Vicki Farnam of DTI for Women,” she said.
GTM is active in coordinating communication between retailers and their local A Girl & A Gun and Armed Women of America members to work together.
“Whether it’s through hosting events or promoting sales through our networks, we collectively reach millions. Retailers are always welcome to contact us — and they do! — with any questions, whether from their team or customer,” she said. “We take the time to provide thorough support and strive to make vendor relations as seamless as possible. We take the time needed. We go out of our way to eliminate the dread in vendor support.”
The most often asked question Chisholm gets from retailers is what sets GTM apart from all the other brands and bags in the market, aside from pricing.
“We are happy to share what other retailers say about our collective experience,” she remarked. “Existing stores commonly let us know how happy they are to have few-to-no issues with GTM service and products, particularly the high quality and the fact we stand behind them. They trust our commitment to excellence and appreciate they can rely on both the durability and safety of our products. They highly value our customer service, knowing they never have to worry about issues with our products or support. In short, we make retailing GTM so easy and stress-free!”
Rugged Rare
Travis Ferguson, VP of sales and marketing for Rugged Rare in Knoxville, Tenn., shared they connect with retailers in a variety of ways at major trade shows, with SHOT Show being the biggest.
“We also connect at direct-to-consumer shows like the NRA Annual Meeting, the GOA show [Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit (GOALS), held in Knoxville] and then our distributor shows like the Chattanooga Shooting Supplies Dealer Show,” he explained.
Rugged Rare uses marketing and social media for their direct-to-consumer sales to create brand awareness. Ferguson shared direct emails have been most effective in communicating with dealers.
As for the support offered to retailers, Rugged Rare includes marketing materials and displays, as well as running specials and support for sales such as giveaways.
Ferguson added, “We’re fully committed to supporting our dealers. While we do have a direct-to-consumer website, we intentionally avoid offering promotions there to ensure we’re not competing with our retail partners. We prioritize protecting our brick-and-mortar stores. Similarly, our presence on Amazon is solely to uphold our MAP policy —it’s designed entirely with dealer protection in mind.”
Ferguson responded quickly when asked what question he most commonly gets from retailers.
“It’s ‘What’s your best seller?’” he shared, laughing. “I typically try to answer that with a series of questions based on their demographic, their location and who’s shopping inside their store. It’s completely different for someone in Memphis than in Nashville or in Knoxville. Even though we’re in the same state, what sells very well for one store may not sell the same elsewhere. So, it truly varies where they are and how they’re presenting the product and what they’re trying to do.”
Through his tenure in the firearms industry, Ferguson is enthused by how the options available to women have continued to grow and evolve.
“I’ve been in the industry for a very long time. When it comes to concealed carry bags, I’ve had the luxury of working with several manufacturers over the years,” he said. “So, I’ve seen more concealed carry bags and probably know more about concealed carry bags than any man you’ll meet. It’s encouraging to see so many women getting involved in shooting and in the industry and now having options that they didn’t have five or 10 years ago. It always puts a smile on my face.”
Retailer Insights
Pam Reis, owner of Pistols Plus in Osage Beach, Mo., found Gun Tote’n Mamas at SHOT Show and has been very happy with the product and the company.
When asked why she chose that brand to carry, Reis replied, “They’re very stylish, kind of reminding me of Coach purses. They’re very high quality and they have tons and tons of styles, colors and sizes, so they really work for just about anybody. Guns are very well hidden in the purses.”
Gun Tote’n Mamas’ personalized customer service also has great appeal to Reis.
“The company has very nice people; they’re pretty hands-on,” she said. “I usually talk to someone in person when I want to order more, and the products come pretty quickly.”
Shane Phillips, retail manager with Republic Gun Club in Waco, Texas, says his facility learned about Lady Conceal from an employee who was familiar with them at another retail store.
Phillips is very happy with the service they’ve received, noting, “They’re great. Anything I’ve ever asked for, they’ve gotten to me quickly. The owner is really responsive and her staff is spot on. If I email them to ask, ‘Hey, can we get on a call?’ they’ll typically call within a minute or two. If I have any questions they get right back to me.”
(The Lady Conceal purses have been so popular at Republic Gun Club, Phillips shared they were completely sold out the day of our interview.)
An Easy Decision
As off-body carry increases in popularity, retailers can support their customers and reach a broader audience by stocking a variety of concealed carry purses and bags. A store display allows customers to see and feel the bags to better find the one that’s right for them.
Connecting with manufacturers is a simple process, and a comfortable partnership will make the decision to add concealed carry purses and bags to your store a profitable one.
