WOMAN OPENS GUN BOUTIQUE FOR WOMEN

By David Maccar August 10, 2016

Farmville—no, not the online game everyone was addicted to way back in the day—a town in North Carolina, is welcoming a different kind of gun shop.
It’s being called a “gun boutique” in this story from wral.com, and the store at the corner of Main and Wilson streets opened last month with the goal of alleviating the intimidation factor many women face when going into a “normal” gun shop.
“It’s tough being a woman and going into gun shop,” said Jessica Pickerell in the story. The 28-year-old New Jersey native opened Jessica’s Gun Shop after shooting for 10 years and has worked in several gun shops.
“It can be intimidating. I opened my shop coming from a woman’s perspective. Buying a gun for women is like buying a car. We are looked at differently, talked to differently.”
Pickerell said in the story she hopes men and women alike will feel comfortable in her shop and that community support for the shop has been strong.
“Everyone here is great, and I have a great relationship with the Farmville Police Department,” she said.
“This business is fantastic. I recently heard Farmville described as a ‘garden and gun kind of town.’ (Jessica and Mike did an excellent job on the renovations. The shop is so welcoming, and they have a great inventory and are expanding (its product base) daily,” said Jamin Dixon, a real estate agent who helped Pickerell secure the vacant building that now houses her shop, in the story.
“This shop is playing an important part in the diversity of Farmville’s shopping climate,” said Mayor Bobby Evans. “I appreciate your efforts to renovate this facility”
According to recent data, women are the fastest growing segment of the gun industry, buying more firearms and accessories, and applying for concealed-carry permits in numbers never seen before.