RAYGUN, a printing, design and clothing store, is opening on State Street in the building formerly occupied by Paul’s Book Store, which closed early this year.
The company has ten locations in the Midwest, with headquarters in Des Moines. Madison will be the 11th location in the franchise.
Before beginning work on the State Street location, RAYGUN already worked with various organizations in Wisconsin such as the Wisconsin Teachers Union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council and the Milwaukee Public Library, according to RAYGUN founder Mike Draper.
The company’s preexisting presence in Wisconsin was an encouraging factor in its expansion to Madison. A Madison connection told the company that Paul’s Bookstore would be shutting down and selling the space, alerting RAYGUN of the open space on State Street, Draper said.
“They asked if we were interested in taking it over since we like both urban areas and old buildings,” Draper said. “We were super excited about the opportunity.”
The company began with Draper and a friend selling graphic T-shirts out of college and has since expanded both in employees and in merchandise, according to Draper. RAYGUN’s products, which include clothing, kitchen supplies and home decor, target the Midwestern audience with slogans, regional phrases and images.
Draper described the company as “Midwest progressive” and said that it is not uncommon to see political merchandise on its shelves. RAYGUN has fundraised for and donated to Planned Parenthood, the Trust Women Abortion Access Fund, Black Lives Matter and the NAACP.
But RAYGUN does not have a target demographic and they aim to show the coexistence of ideas that people may think of as separate, Draper said.
“We have more uteri on products than probably any store in America, but we also have plenty of tailgating items, too,” Draper said. “You can be pro-choice and also like football — it’s very common.”
Because RAYGUN has no investors and is an independent company, the merchandise designs are fully reflective of their design team, according to Draper. He said that the team consists of a wide range of people, meaning content varies widely.
Despite requests to expand beyond the Midwest, Draper said he has no plans to do so as long as he owns and runs the company.
What started as selling 100 T-shirts with a friend has become something much bigger, according to Draper. In college, Draper spent countless hours working on creative endeavors, but he had never considered it as a career until after. Now, the RAYGUN brand has published books, created a play based on the brand and has expanded its merchandise.
“It’s now much more than a t-shirt shop. It’s a real creative extravaganza,” Draper said.
RAYGUN on State Street is expected to open its doors in fall 2025.