About Us
Welcome to Chick Holsters, where we make gun holsters for everyday women. Here at Chick Holsters our goal is to provide women with a practical and comfortable holster that you can wear, no matter where you are. Camille, the founder and creator of Chick Holsters, tells you here the background on how it all began…
I am just an everyday woman, not much different than the average female. I am not a savvy gun pro, but rather consider myself a pro-gun kind of gal. Handguns did not have a place in my life growing up. So the decision to exercise my 2nd Amendment right didn’t really stem from a pro-gun environment. As a matter of fact, after having children of my own I was intentionally opting to NOT carry, out of the fear that with children this would be an accident waiting to happen. However, after a few alarming incidents and one particular situation that took place right outside my own home with my children present, suddenly all of that changed for me.
As many of you can relate from your own experiences, there is nothing to compare to the ugly fear that hits you when face to face with the painful reality that– there really are bad guys in this world. And though this was not my first compromising encounter, nor my last, it was the first situation that involved both my young children, a two year old and three month old at that time. And that dear friends, was the last straw for me. My decision was made to join the heat packin’ civilians of the U.S.
Once my search for the handgun of choice began, I was surprised to find that my biggest roadblock was not deciding upon the actual firearm, but rather the carrying option. My previous fear of children and guns, was about to become my new reality. I struggled greatly with the idea of putting a firearm in my purse… the very thing that my two year old loved to get into. I just couldn’t bring myself to risk it and made the decision that at least for that time, I would not become a “purse” carrier. So that greatly narrowed my search to look for different “on your person” carry options.
I wasn’t interested in open carry and couldn’t find a comfortable side holster that didn’t dig into my skin. Due to the clothing and comfort adjustments that I would have had to make with the “in the waistband/belt” options, I was quick to fall in love with the “ankle” holster worn under your pant leg when I saw it. This was perfect! Well,… almost. Over the course of time of wearing one around my ankle, I found another reality to be true that I hadn’t thought about and was quite frankly to my disavantage. And this was the fact that the gun world does indeed revolve around men and their frame/build, all the way down to the ankles. But despite the discomfort that came from wearing a holster that was too large and scratched my ankle, I still faithfully carried daily.
However, once the heat of summer hit that year, I again was caught by an unwanted reality. This one came from wearing long jeans on blazing summer days. To a little Northwesterner like me, this was truly not the best combination. But it did prove to be the instigation that propelled me forward to some creative and practical thinking. And with that was born my first attempt at what is now known today as the “Thigh Carry” Chick Holster—pink striped with a touch of lace.
Over time, many changes and improvements have been made from the original Chick Holster, both in the design and quality of materials used to create comfort and durability. In addition we also began making our “Ankle Carry” Chick Holster. And though I will never claim perfection, nor tell you that this is the answer to all of your carrying needs, I am pleased to be able to provide you with such holster options for everyday wear. Holsters that have been designed, created and worn by a woman– for a woman.
Now this I say to the men out there. With all this talk about women and the disavantages that I’ve found out there in the gun world, I would now like to stop and make one specific point. And that is to say “thank you” to all of you wonderful men out there who are so truly helpful to me and the women like me who are searching and learning as we go. It was the men of this world who have given me their quality time from teaching me to shoot, being my shooting buddies, teaching me gun safety, answering my many questions, helping me network and market this product, just to name a few things. And it has been the men who have shown me so much support and encouragment. As is stated, the gun world is a man’s world and though I truly have no desire to change that, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who are so accepting and encouraging to us women. I appreciate and respect you for this.
And now to all of you women out there, I understand on a personal level how difficult it can be to find what you are looking for in a market that is not geared towards you. So if Chick Holsters can be of help to you in this, we are here. I hope you find these holsters to be as practical an option as I have found them to be, and yet also one that encourages you to be the woman that you are in all your femininity, whether in jeans or a skirt. And if all else fails, may Chick Holsters be a source of encouragement for you to keep searching until you find what works well for you and not settle for less. After all, we are not men, we are women. And so I say, let a woman BE a woman… with a gun.
Blessings to you all,
-Camille
