What Do Women Want? LadyKickButt Has a Whole Line of Security Items

LadyKickButt sounds like the title of a Quentin Tarantino movie, but it’s actually the name of an online personal security store operating on Lake Murray Boulevard—among the shops north of Vons.

Former law enforcement investigator Erna Belshaw owns the store, which also sells to different venues, including gun shows throughout Southern California. LadyKickButt’s inventory includes gun concealment clothing and accessories, stun guns and pepper spray.

Belshaw was inspired to open the store after patronizing gun shops where men didn’t understand a woman’s wants and needs.

“Women need to be handled differently when shopping for some type of protection, whether it be mace and/or pepper spray, gun concealment purses and stun guns,”  Belshaw said. Most of LadyKickButt’s customers are women ages 21 and up. The shop also caters to professionals who require certain items to feel safe leaving their work site, according to Belshaw.

Although LadyKickButt works mostly with women, men are among their fans as well. “Our main focus is providing excellent customer service to our female and male customers. We have men who call up and need some guidance … to order for their wives. We provide telephone support to our customers as well as answer questions via e-mail.”

After two years in business, Belshaw said LadyKickButt has started making products with its own label this year. “We are so proud to feature our own line of T-shirts and gun concealment belts,” she said.

TEEN SPEAK EASY: Speaking of the business of protection, the San Diego Better Business Bureau wants high school juniors and seniors to join its Student Ambassador program. The program, in its sixth year, involves students delivering speeches to their peers on how to be smarter consumers and protect themselves from scams and frauds.

Students will be trained Feb. 12 at the BBB offices using a script with information on topics such as credit card shopping, budgeting, cell phone usage and identity theft.  Besides bolstering public speaking skills, students who make the most speeches between March and May will be eligible to receive scholarships from Union Bank, the program’s founding and 2011 presenting sponsor.

Applications are available at sandiego.bbb.org/student-ambassador/ and are due Feb. 4. For more information, e-mail Mona Terry, BBB director of operations, at mterry@sandiego.bbb.org.