Business Spotlight: Fit to Carry

The Second Amendment is at the bedrock of CrossBreed Holsters LLC.

The owners and employees of the gun holster manufacturer lean on it for their livelihood.

“Being able to protect yourself, no matter what the tool is, should be a right for everyone,” says CrossBreed Marketing Director Nathan Engelking.

The American right is spurring holster sales across the country. Company officials estimate over 3,000 holsters move out of the manufacturer each week.

But in 2005, founder Mark Craighead couldn’t find a holster suitable to his needs. So, he made one.

The U.S. Air Force veteran was in the middle of pursuing his nursing degree from CoxHealth at the time, and while he later completed it, Craighead never put the credentials to use. He didn’t have to.

After making holsters for others, within a year CrossBreed was in its first brick-and-mortar shop.

“Truly, he started off on my kitchen counter,” says wife Carol Craighead.

The business’ future was put in doubt in 2012, when Mark Craighead died of a heart attack at age 43. Carol Craighead, who worked in the medical field, took on the business. The couple had three children together in their 21 years of marriage, and Mark considered his employees to be part of his family. It was a lot for Carol to digest.

“I did the best I could,” she says. “I needed help.” 

She received assistance in the form of an investment by St. Louis-based VonAllmen Capital Partners, which owns a minority stake in the business. She’s now the majority owner, and her work family has stepped in to fill any knowledge gaps. 

By the thousands
Out of a nondescript 8,500-square-foot shop, 46 employees work diligently to fill orders customized by the size and make of the gun, special features specific to a gun type, embroidery work and accessories. Hundreds of gun molds line the walls, a much cheaper alternative to using the real things to test the holsters. 

On the factory floor, workers use a hot press to bend and seal plastic molding, hand-shape cow and horsehide leathers, cut off excess parts with safety goggles and carefully put orders into specific boxes for shipment. 

Engelking, the marketer, estimates the company can produce 350,000-500,000 variations.

“It’s kind of like that Sonic slush thing, where all of a sudden cherry becomes 400 flavors,” he says. “Any configuration they have, chances are we’re going to have something for it.”

Craighead says the company’s holsters are hand-molded for comfort, the fit of the gun and quickness of the draw.

So, if a customer has a Glock 19, they can fit it just right.

“Our holsters are made specific to the firearm,” she says. “They’re not made as generic-style holsters where they fit this plethora of different-sized firearms.”

Declining to disclose revenue, Craighead and Engelking say 70 percent of CrossBreed’s sales are direct to consumer via the company’s website. With deals offered on the recent Cyber Monday, Engelking says the company had its best sales day to date. It’s currently the busy season – October through March – when hunting and holidays dominate.

On the high end, annual holster sales run into the 180,000 territory.

“It is a ton of holsters,” Engelking says, declining to disclose the company’s recent Cyber Monday or yearly sales figures.

The company’s most popular product is the SuperTuck, a concealable inside-the-waistband holster that sells for $70, according to its website. CrossBreed’s products range from $35 to $95 apiece.

CrossBreed secured some 100 stocking dealers, which helped push sales from coast to coast. At the end of 2015, CrossBreed entered a deal to sell its products in Cabela’s Inc. (NYSE: CAB) stores, Craighead says. Crossbreed also is in talks with Springfield’s Bass Pro Shops. They’re hopeful Bass Pro’s proposed $5.5 billion purchase of Cabela’s can benefit the negotiation process. 

Bass Pro spokesman Jack Wlezien confirmed the outdoor retailer is vetting CrossBreed but is unsure whether the buyout of Cabela’s would have an impact.

“We like their product and are in discussions with them about carrying it at Bass Pro Shops,” Wlezien says via email. “Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s continue to operate as independent companies until the transaction closes.” 

Locally, customers include law enforcement officers.

“Detectives or plain clothes officers sometimes choose to carry a different style [gun than officers] – if they can qualify and meet standards with it – but then they purchase their own holster,” Lisa Cox of the Springfield Police Department says. “I’ve heard CrossBreed is a great company to work with.”

Guns and politics
Elections and political rhetoric have measurable effects on the gun industry.

During the peak of the 2016 election season, federal background checks rose 14 percent to 2.56 million in November compared with 2.24 million a year earlier, the 19th consecutive monthly increase, according to FBI data. President-elect Donald Trump ran, in part, on a Second Amendment platform, which could spell increased gun sales. That could mean more holsters. 

Craighead says Trump’s stance on the Second Amendment could be beneficial. 

“In the long term, having a president who is pro-gun, I think that’s good for us,” she says.