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Hello Marilyn. I love the tagline for your company “Not your Daddy’s holster,” because I can attest to the fact that your line looks nothing like any holsters my father has. How did you get into this business?

My husband and I enjoyed taking firearms training courses together. After borrowing several of his holsters and not loving them – I decided to make my own. Having a shapewear holster garment is definitely not your husband or daddy’s holster!

Was there anything specific that happened in your life that drove you towards this type of business?

Yes, I think we’ve all heard stories of a woman fending off attackers or would-be attackers. I definitely have had my own moment of ‘how am I going to get out of this situation.’ That got me to give more weight to my gut feelings and to keep my situational awareness radars on.

You are obviously very passionate about this subject but let’s be honest, this is definitely not a typical type of concealed carry wear. What inspired you to combine the shape wear with concealed carry components?

Women’s bodies are so unique that traditional holsters don’t always work for all of us. We were in need of new options, and I thought shapewear with special use pockets would be a multi-functional use product! That way you could carry your firearm or other small items such as keys, money, id, or lipstick.

I’ve always thought that a woman feels sexiest when she not only looks her best but knows deep down that she can take care of herself and I feel like your line achieves them both. Is that what you were going for when you created this brand?

Thank you! Yes, it was! Even our name Nickel and Lace gives hints of both the hard edge of Nickel and feminine touch of Lace which describes a truly confident woman. We represent the woman who is serious about her own self-defense but also doesn’t want to compromise her personal style.

Give our audience an idea of the type of products they can expect to find on your website.

We are a women’s self-defense fashion boutique. On our website, you will find something different every season. While we have the main staple product – our compression style base foundation garments with special use pockets meant for subcompact carry – we also have tops and dresses that work well with on-body concealed carry. You will also find bags, kydex holster inserts, and self-defense jewelry. In the past, we have had knife necklaces and hoping to have some ‘claw’ rings this summer!

You play a big role in the USCCA event that is coming up April 7-9 in Ft Worth. Tell us about that role and what we can expect should one get to attentd.

I’m super excited about this year’s Expo! The USCCA Women’s Community Team wanted to create a unique learning and shopping experience just for women where they could feel comfortable to ask any question and try on any product. This will help them decide what works best for their body type and preferred style of carrying, learn from each other, and hopefully make new friendships.

This Women’s Community Room will be in a private area of the Expo and sponsored by a new company called CCW Style. Our focus will be on educational seminars led by expert women in the industry, feature holster products that can be tested, plus there will be clothing sponsors on hand to let women try on clothes with these holsters. Archer London of Dallas and Cowbabes of Ft. Worth are our clothing sponsors providing clothing from XS-3X in a multitude of styles!

The greatest part is that women will walk in with questions but walk out with a new outfit, a new holster, new training tips, and a renewed sense of confidence!

Can you give us a sneak peak of any upcoming products?

Our newest product, the Luxe Lace, has several new features. It is more of a compression tank than shapewear. Being lighter weight it’s good for all weather wear plus is has detachable bra straps which allow the wearer to convert the back for racer tops. We’ve also added a larger selection of colors and sizes! In addition to black and white, we now have a beautiful nude color. New sizes include XS and an XXL! Lastly, we’ve added a soft lace transition at the trim to give it that ultra feminine look and feel.
Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to seeing all of your success in the near future.

See you on April 8th! Hoping to have you join us on stage for a concealed carry fashion demo!