Raygun, a retail store that specializes in slogans unique to local communities, is set to open later this month in the Sheldon Munn building in downtown Ames. Raygun was founded in Des Moines, Iowa, in the historic East Village and has seven other locations from Kansas City to Chicago. 

Mike Draper, founder and owner of Raygun, has many connections to Ames.

“Even from the earliest days when I first started the store, it was like a lot of people in our circle were right out of the design school at Ames,” Draper said. 

Raygun was founded in 2005 and since then has become a popular destination for gifts, clothing, prints and more. Crystal Davis, executive director of Ames Main Street, expressed her excitement about the addition of the well-known business to Main Street. 

“They have a little more name recognition, and I just really think [they will] create a good buzz, a long-standing, long-term buzz for not only the community but for visitors,” Davis said. 

Draper had plans to open a RAYGUN in Ames in 2018 in the same historic Sheldon Munn building, but the timing didn’t work out and plans fell through. Now, five years later, Draper looks forward to joining the Ames community.

“I think for us, you kind of look at any of these neighborhoods that are already fairly dynamic and how we can not just extract things from the neighborhood but move in and actually add something,” Draper said. 

Draper wants Raygun to complement the already established downtown area and prefers downtown locations compared to suburban ones. 

 “I think their zany, fun, tongue-in-cheek slogans and what they do is really needed right now,” Davis said. “They poke a little fun [and] they can be serious, but it’s all about just bringing out the good in people.” 

Raygun brings a sense of humor and a serious tone to certain topics of pop culture and current events. 

“We’re essentially like a content factory,” Draper said. “The store is meant to be entertaining; we call it, ‘What the internet would be if it came to life.’”

For Draper, the most exciting part about opening a new store is getting deeper connections with store owners already existing in the community. 

“The neatest thing about having a store in any of these communities is that you end up being kind of ingrained in the community on a much deeper level,” Draper said. 

Raygun is set to open around June 28 in the Sheldon Munn building at 301 Main St.