Lady dealer shares insider secrets

Shooting Industry, August, 2006 by Lisa Parsons-Wraith

Women rarely own gun stores. The firearm industry has been traditionally dominated by men and, despite the many women entering shooting sports in recent years, women FFL holders are few and far between.

At the same time, many men who own gun stores want to know the secret to increasing their female customer base.

Charli Stokes knows a few of the secrets. She owns 51 percent of Panhandle Gunslingers Inc. in Amarillo, Texas. She has been a shooter for many years, is an NRA-certified firearm instructor and works full-time behind the counter of her store.

The foundation for her success as a dealer, and one with a strong female customer base, goes back nine years when she and her husband opened Panhandle Gunslingers. She was determined to be different from other gun stores.

"I swore that women would not be treated as I had been in gun stores in this area," Stokes said. "Many times I entered a gun store, intending to buy, and found I was treated like I was ignorant or, in some cases, not even there. I felt it was because I was female and not a 'real' customer."

Stokes started her gun business after 20 years working for the commercial side of Ryder Trucks. Her husband had a Snap-On tool business, and he traded so many tools for guns, Stokes said they decided to open a gun store.

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Customer service is the key to building your female customer base, Stokes said, adding that good customer service starts simply with, "a sweet smile and a, 'Hi, can I help you?'"

She said women usually feel comfortable in her store right away because Stokes and her husband make no secret of the fact that she is the major stockholder.

"We are a small store and I only have two full-time employees besides my husband and myself," Stokes said. "One is a female and the other is our full-time gunsmith. We never let anyone, much less a female, walk in the door without speaking to them."

Stokes said this is important and she and her staff often offer to help wives who are waiting for their husband to finish shopping.

"They usually say, 'Oh, I am just waiting for him' and our response is always, 'Well, you might have questions, too, feel free to look around and ask.' If, in the future, they find themselves in the market for a firearm, they will remember that we treated them like a customer--not an idiot. We offer private instruction as well as concealed handgun classes and most women leave feeling much more confident about firearms than when they first arrived. At least, that's our goal," Stokes said.