Watch: RAYGUN attracts presidential candidates to its stores
RAYGUN, a Des Moines-based company known for its witty shirts, is courting the Democratic presidential candidates this season.
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Raygun continues its quest to become the “Biggest Store in the Universe” — or at least the Midwest — with plans to open a store in Lincoln, Nebraska later this year.
Raygun founder and owner Mike Draper says Raygun will occupy a 3,300-square-foot storefront at 1219 P St. in downtown Lincoln. It will be the 10th location for the Des Moines-based novelty retailer, which also has stores in AmesCedar Rapids, Iowa City, Cedar Falls, Davenport, Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska.
And the chain is far from expanding across the Midwest, Draper said.
Raygun already has licensing deals with Lincoln-based University of Nebraska and name, image and likeness deals with several players on Nebraska's perennially competitive volleyball team, Draper said. At her Omaha store, she sells some University of Nebraska apparel, including shirts that say “Nebraska: The Center of the Volleyball World” and “Nebraska Has the Best Corn.”
The company has also formed a partnership with the Nebraska State Board of Education and Planned Parenthood of the North Central States, which includes Nebraska. Cornhusker fans can expect to see a lot more Nebraska merchandise and Lincoln-specific merchandise, Draper said.
“Whenever we're looking for a place to open for you, look where you're already doing 80 percent of the work. We're already working with a lot of organizations in,” Lincoln, Draper said. “This is really taking it across the state.”
Raygun targets departing from Nebraska AD. with the first satirical volley
An example of what's to come was Raygun's email announcing its Lincoln store, which took a cheeky dig at outgoing University of Nebraska athletics director Trev Alberts. As indicated from the Omaha World-Heraldthe former Cornhuskers All-America linebacker is taking the AD position at Texas A&M University for an undisclosed salary despite recently signing a contract extension through 2031 at Nebraska, where he made $1.7 million this year.
“We signed a lease for a location in downtown Lincoln!” Raygun said. “And Trev Alberts decided to move to Texas that same day. Don't worry Trev, you're safe now because we will NEVER open a store in Texas. Never ever. Not for a billion dollars.”
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Raygun plans to open the Lincoln location, a former clothing store space, in June.
“A lot of what's slowing things down is how much work the space needs, and the space is pretty well stripped. We should be able to hit June,” Draper said. “We've slowly worked our way up the food chain in Nebraska.”
NCAA tournament play in Omaha is a major opportunity
March is a busy time for Raygun in the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments. This week he plans merchandise in hopes of capitalizing on the first and second rounds of the men's tournament in Omaha, where Iowa State, Drake University and the University of Illinois will play.
Raygun's Kansas City store is located near the T-Mobile Center, where the Big 12 men's and women's basketball tournaments are played each year.
“We can put up a big screen in the state of Iowa during this time to bring in people,” Draper said. “So it will be nice to do one for Drake, one for Iowa State and one for Illinois.”
And, the Lincoln Journal Star reportedLincoln has made a bid to host some tournament games in 2027 and 2028 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, about six blocks from the new store.
St. Louis, Lawrence, Kansas; Columbia, Missouri, among the cities where Raygun may expand
Raygun wants to expand to large and medium-sized cities within about four hours of Des Moines, Draper said. As in Lincoln, the company is looking to expand into markets where it has already established partnerships with companies, institutions and universities.
“We had already made a lot of those community connections that I think are necessary to have that ongoing dialogue with the community,” Draper said. Raygun currently has licensing agreements with the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri for its Kansas City store. So Lawrence, home of KU, and Columbia, home of MU, would be natural fits for new stores, Draper said. Additional stores in Missouri, including St. Louis, would also be a good fit because the company already pays sales tax in Missouri, Draper said.
A second store in the Chicago area is also being considered, he said. The chain is trying to figure out how to expand responsibly and create merchandise in each new city that still feels authentic and local. When new stores open, Raygun hosts workshops and events with local artists and producers to create a symbiotic relationship with the communities, Draper said.
“Getting involved in community stuff is the trick,” he said. “To be successful in the markets with what we do, there has to be flexibility. The secret in this place is the interaction with the community, and that interaction with the community has to be a little more flexible.”
Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.
