Leslie Deets cares about fashion. She loves skirts and pretty heels. She adores Coach and Michael Kors handbags. And the gun she owns is pink.
Less than a year ago, Deets blasted her way into a largely untapped market: the growing and wildly diverse demographic of U.S. women who carry handguns. Deets did so by founding Concealed Carrie, a business based in Roswell, Ga., that makes high-end leather handbags, totes and computer bags for women who want to be able to protect themselves and look great while doing so.
“If you looked at me, you wouldn’t be expecting me to be packing anything — except maybe some Lancôme,” said Deets, who is 5-foot-3 and weighs 100 pounds. “But I like feeling more alert and more empowered knowing that that firearm is right there next to me.”