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    Packing Heat

    Dallas woman designs handbags with holsters for fashionable firearm users

    Claire St. Amant
    Jul 11, 2013 | 12:46 pm

    When Kate Woolstenhulme walks out of the grocery store, she does so with vigilance. Woolstenhulme keeps a handgun securely tucked inside her purse, which also has room for pepper spray and a laser pointer capable of inducing temporary blindness.

    Woolstenhulme began carrying a gun in 2008, around the time of Barack Obama’s presidential election. She looked high and low for a purse that met her fashion and safety standards. After a particularly disappointing shopping trip, she had an epiphany.

    “I cannot be the only woman standing in Saks Fifth Avenue wishing I could buy one of these beautiful handbags and also carry my handgun,” Woolstenhulme says. “I came up with the idea basically out of desperation for myself, but I thought there had to be other women like me.”

    “You’re either all in or you’re all out,” Kate Woolstenhulme says. “You cant just put your toe in the water if you’re going to carry a handgun.”

    Woolstenhulme, who has also worked in the private jet business and real estate, decided to get into fashion about four years ago. The Dallas resident introduced her first product in late 2009, and her concealed carry handbag business has been growing ever since.

    “Once you make the decision that you’re going to carry a handgun, all those wonderful purses that you had in your closet that went with all your outfits, you can’t use them anymore because it’s not really safe,” she says.

    Woolstenhulme never really considered leaving her gun at home. After all, the point of a concealed handgun license is to have it at the ready.

    “You’re either all in or you’re all out,” she says. “You cant just put your toe in the water if you’re going to carry a handgun.”

    Woolstenhulme’s handbags come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, but they all have a dual-locking zipper and a built-in, adjustable holster. Prices range from around $300 to $4,000. For those who aren’t packing heat, the locking compartment can be used to store medication, cash or nonlethal weapons.

    Woolstenhulme says she’s never had to whip out her piece in a tactical maneuver, but she’s fully prepared to do so. In addition to her CHL class, she’s taken self-defense and role-playing courses where she practiced drawing her gun and training it on a suspect.

    “You just think about if anyone had had a gun in her handbag at the movie theater in Colorado or the parking lot where Gabby Giffords was shot,” Woolstenhulme says. “These things don’t normally happen, but you never know so that’s why you’re always prepared.”

    Woolstenhulme advocates hyper-awareness at all times. She doesn’t take much stock in conventional safety theories, such as having your keys in your hand in the parking lot.

    “If you have your keys in your hand, someone could come up behind you and whack your wrist really hard and take them,” she says.

    Instead, Woolstenhulme designed a key hook inside her purse so she can keep her hands free.

    “It’s not like we walk around in fear all the time,” Woolstenhulme says. “It’s all about taking some mental preparation so that we have that extra edge and we don’t become victims.”

    Woolstenhulme grew up in the 1950s and fondly remembers when she didn’t even lock her door. But her days of living footloose and firearm-free are long gone.

    “I can’t explain why society has changed. I think a lot of it has to do with immigration and the fact that people have moved here from very dangerous places,” she says. “If we have gun control, the only people who will have guns will be the criminals. We have to figure out if our society is going to continue to get more violent, what are we going to do about it?”

    Woolstenhulme thinks helping women feel more confident carrying a gun is a good way to start. She’s sold thousands of purses each year and is a set to introduce new styles in August, including her first evening purse.

    “It’s a refreshing product and women are so happy to see it that I’ve had really strong sales,” Woolstenhulme says.

    One of her styles, the glacier, even has a waiting list. Woolstenhulme plans to get a new shipment in the fall.

    Beretta Gallery in Highland Park Village carries two of Woolstenhulme’s purses, one in crocodile and another in ostrich. In addition to selling online and at gun shows, Woolstenhulme’s purses are in stores in Mesquite, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

    Chelsea Comtois, a sales associate at Beretta, says that although they’ve yet to sell one of Woolstenhulme’s handbags, a lot of women are interested in them.

    “We’ve had a lot of people like and look,” Comtois says. “Most women aren’t aware that a handbag like this exists, but people are starting to talk about them.”

    Woolstenhulme recommends tactical training in addition to a CHL license.

    Woman aims her gun
      
    Courtesy photo
    Woolstenhulme recommends tactical training in addition to a CHL license.
    unspecified
    news/fashion

    Where to Shop

    Where to shop in Dallas right now: 9 new shops and deals for April

    Raven Jordan
    Apr 2, 2025 | 3:00 pm
    Cult Gaia
    Cult Gaia
    Cult Gaia

    The April edition of Where to Shop, CultureMap's column of fashion, and new stores, and pop-ups, is stocked with spring finds, from an Asian toy store to a window treatment studio to a vendor market at Galleria Dallas — a little something for everyone.

    Here's where to shop in Dallas this month:

    Cult Gaia
    Women's fashion brand based in Los Angeles has set up a a one-year residency at Market, the women's boutique in Highland Village — part of Market's pop-up program that allows emerging brands to test the Texas market. Cult Gaia sells cool dresses with creative cut-outs and artsy details, priced from $500 to $2,500, depending on how much bling. Plus bathing suits, cute purses, and quirky sandals.

    Firewheel Town Center
    Garland shopping center is celebrating Easter with a Bunny Photo Experience, open daily from April 4-19. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

    Good Market
    Weekend pop-up market on April 4-5 at Galleria Dallas' new Outdoor Plaza brings together 13 vendors with unique merchandise: jewelry, hats, stationery, floral arrangements, and more — plus Argentine gelato from Dallas-based Gelato La Boca.

    Graber
    Wisconsin company specializing in window treatments has made its Dallas debut at the Interior Home & Design Center at 2000 N. Stemmons Fwy. This is their first interactive design studio, featuring everything from blinds to curtains to wooden shutters, with the opportunity to touch and feel. Walk-ins are welcome.

    Indigo 1745 Collective
    Newly relocated store in the Cedars District at 1409 S. Botham Jean Blvd. remains a chill space to find goods for independent designers, artists, and patrons. They sell natural body products, clothes, and accessories from designers such as Beulah, Georg Roth, Masutto, and Molly x Nico. The shop is available for appointment only by text at 214-948-1745.

    Kendra Scott
    Jewelry and accessories brand opened at Arlington Highlands in March. This is the ninth location in Dallas-Fort Worth. It's part of Arlington Highlands' $30 million renovation to refresh the center and add new stores. The shop features the Color Bar, new brand collections, watches, and engravings.

    ME+EM
    British womenswear label has opened a location at NorthPark Center at 8687 N. Central Expy. #1132, on Level One between Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. This is their fourth store in the U.S. and the first in Texas. Their clothes are polished, yet comfortable featuring dresses that transition from day to night and pants that pair with any top. They release new items monthly such as the Silhouette Print Smock for $135.

    Pop Mart
    Toy and entertainment brand from China is now open at Galleria Dallas where they feature designer toys with limited-edition releases that vault them into the collectible category. The store offers immersive environment showcasing Pop Mart characters such as Molly, Hirono, The Monsters, and Skullpanda.

    Pottery Barn
    Furniture outlet now open at Arlington Highlands is part of the shopping center's renovation. It's one of six locations in Dallas-Fort Worth and carries sofas, tables, home decor, bedding, and more. Design collaborations include LoveShackFancy and Peter Rabbit, a seasonal spring collection.

    where to shoplists
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