IT’S ONE of the busiest days of the year — the Saturday before Thanksgiving. In kitchens all across Shelbyville, steam will rise from the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies cooling on the counter. Apples will be cored and sliced, then sprinkled with cinnamon and layered into what will soon become a flaky pie crust. At the Piggly Wiggly down the street, shoppers will frantically scan their lists. Do they have enough cans of green beans for the casserole? Will the five jumbo packs of Hawaiian sweet rolls be enough to feed every guest invited for Thanksgiving dinner, with plenty to spare for turkey sliders after church on Sunday?
Chris and Lacey Cartwright aren’t stressed about any of this as they count the hours until the opening of deer hunting season. In fact, when Chris invited Lacey on their first date on that Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2016, he didn’t take her to Legends Steakhouse or to Bocelli’s or even to McDonald’s for salted fries and a caramel frappuccino. Instead, they spent the morning in a deer stand high above a field.
With a love story that involved outdoor sports, guns, and ammunition, it’s no wonder they officially opened Cartwright’s Guns & More on May 27, 2025. Now they spend their days together — when Chris isn’t working at the fire station — selling guns and ammo. They are pursuing what they love and sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with everyone who drops by for a visit.
“Hunting, guns, ammo, fishing, trapping — these have always been top activities for Chris,” Lacey said. “His eyes light up when talking about any of it. So I knew when I said, ‘Hey, let’s open a gun store,’ he wouldn’t argue.”
When Chris was younger, his uncle gave him a Marlin .22 rifle. “I think Chris was born with a gun in his hands,” Lacey said. “He even had a huge gun safe in his living room when we met. I didn’t know much about guns — or had even carried one — until we met.”
After graduating from Shelbyville Central High School, Chris spent two years serving in the U.S. Air Force before returning home. He worked several odd jobs before becoming a firefighter for the Shelbyville City Fire Department in 2002. Over the years, he worked through the ranks and is now an engineer. Because he cares deeply for our community, Chris also volunteers with the Wheel Fire Department. His work schedule at the fire department, working 24 hours on shift, then having 48 hours off, gave him the freedom to continue pursuing odd jobs on his off days. Chris’s dad, Mike, worked at a local gun shop, and when he passed away in 2019, Chris stepped into his position part time.
When Chris and Lacey met, she worked at Calsonic before transitioning into health care as a dialysis technician. When the opportunity arose for her to work alongside her father in the business he owned, Tim’s Paint & Body Supply, Lacey took it.
“In January 2025, I said to Chris, ‘Let’s open our own gun store!’ I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so excited! We wanted to do something we were passionate about on a daily basis,” Lacey said.
Eager and slightly nervous to ‘pull the trigger’ on a brand-new business, the Cartwrights filed the necessary paperwork and began searching for the ideal location. The first vacant building they called about wasn’t large enough, but the owners offered a much larger building at 709 E. Lane St., and at the time, it was a perfect fit.
Lacey said, “Now the funny thing is that this building is not big enough. We are wanting to get a bigger building so we can offer much more to our amazing customers. Our biggest hurdle starting out was having to wait on our license, but we had everything lined up and ready to go when we finally got it in hand. I have learned so much since opening. I am there every day, and Chris is there on the days he isn’t working at the fire hall.”
This summer will be one year since they first opened their doors. During this time, what has surprised them most is the people they have met along this new journey and how the community has rallied behind them. They both live — and work — with this in mind: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. “You can never go wrong by sticking to the ‘Golden Rule,’” Lacey said.
Their ultimate dream is for their son, Lucas, to take over the business one day. “We are family-oriented in everything we do,” said Lacey. “We want everyone to feel like family when they come through our door. Our customers are the reason we can do what we love and enjoy. We believe everyone should be treated as a person — not just a potential sale.”
This Thanksgiving, while you busily baste your turkey and add just the right amount of sage to your pan of cornbread dressing, Chris, Lacey, and now Lucas will have been settled into their deer stand before the first colors of dawn brightened the November sky. And when one of them squints into the scope to align their sights, the very fingers that squeeze the trigger will also be the ones who share their love of the outdoors with our entire community. GN
Visit their new location at 102 Lane Parkway
