raygun merch
photo credit // gerald farinas
Readers asked where to get protest gear for No Kings Rally, Oct. 18, noon at Grant Park
Chicago -
As rallies and marches grow across Chicago, including the upcoming No Kings protest at Butler Field in Grant Park at noon on October 18, many in the LGBTQ community are asking a simple question: Where do I get the merch?
The answer is proudly local. Raygun, located at 5207 N. Clark Street in the heart of Andersonville, has become Chicago’s go-to spot for protest gear that mixes humor, solidarity, and Midwest pride. The shop’s signature look is clean and understated, with simple fonts and sharp messages designed to stop someone in their tracks when they catch a glance of your shirt or tote out in the wild.
Founded in 2005 in Des Moines, Iowa, by writer and entrepreneur Mike Draper, Raygun began as a one-person screen-printing venture and evolved into a full creative studio and printing house. Over the years, it has grown into one of the Midwest’s most recognizable progressive brands, opening stores in Des Moines, Kansas City, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Omaha, and, in 2019, right here in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. The company just expanded again, opening its first Wisconsin location in Madison this year.
The Chicago store occupies a large corner space on Clark Street in a neighborhood known for LGBTQ history and activism. Inside, walls are lined with messages that champion equality, voting rights, reproductive freedom, and queer joy. They print everything from T-shirts, stickers, and notebooks to pennants and coffee mugs, and they even carry licensed WBEZ (Chicago’s NPR station) merchandise for the local public radio crowd.
Raygun has also become beloved for its LGBTQ-themed goods, offering clever affirmations and unapologetically queer designs that feel right at home in Andersonville. There is something liberating in their style. It is loud in principle but quiet in appearance, letting the message speak first.
What makes Raygun stand out is not just the merch, but its values. The company is proudly unionized under UE Independent Local 8515, with fair-wage policies and sweatshop-free suppliers. Most printing and production are done in-house or by small Midwest partners, including Des Moines-based printers and local artisans. The store also donates a share of proceeds from specific products, often between 15 and 30 percent, to nonprofits advancing education, equality, and social justice.
In a world flooded with mass-produced “statement” wear, Raygun manages to keep its messaging smart, funny, and deeply human. The humor is often dry, even self-deprecating, more conversation starter than slogan. It is that mix of sincerity and satire that makes the brand so uniquely Midwest.
And for Chicagoans with Catholic roots, the store’s tongue-in-cheek Pope Leo merchandise is pure joy, a wink to faith, irony, and the divine comedy of modern life.
So, as protest movements take to the streets once again, stop by Raygun in Andersonville or visit raygunsite.com. Stock up on shirts that speak your truth, notebooks to record the revolution, and a tote to carry it all. Because here in Chicago, our pride and our protest often come printed in bold type.
Editor’s note:This article is not a paid advertisement or sponsored content. It was written in response to questions from readers asking where to find progressive protest merchandise in Chicago.
The answer is proudly local. Raygun, located at 5207 N. Clark Street in the heart of Andersonville, has become Chicago’s go-to spot for protest gear that mixes humor, solidarity, and Midwest pride. The shop’s signature look is clean and understated, with simple fonts and sharp messages designed to stop someone in their tracks when they catch a glance of your shirt or tote out in the wild.
Founded in 2005 in Des Moines, Iowa, by writer and entrepreneur Mike Draper, Raygun began as a one-person screen-printing venture and evolved into a full creative studio and printing house. Over the years, it has grown into one of the Midwest’s most recognizable progressive brands, opening stores in Des Moines, Kansas City, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Omaha, and, in 2019, right here in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. The company just expanded again, opening its first Wisconsin location in Madison this year.
The Chicago store occupies a large corner space on Clark Street in a neighborhood known for LGBTQ history and activism. Inside, walls are lined with messages that champion equality, voting rights, reproductive freedom, and queer joy. They print everything from T-shirts, stickers, and notebooks to pennants and coffee mugs, and they even carry licensed WBEZ (Chicago’s NPR station) merchandise for the local public radio crowd.
Raygun has also become beloved for its LGBTQ-themed goods, offering clever affirmations and unapologetically queer designs that feel right at home in Andersonville. There is something liberating in their style. It is loud in principle but quiet in appearance, letting the message speak first.
What makes Raygun stand out is not just the merch, but its values. The company is proudly unionized under UE Independent Local 8515, with fair-wage policies and sweatshop-free suppliers. Most printing and production are done in-house or by small Midwest partners, including Des Moines-based printers and local artisans. The store also donates a share of proceeds from specific products, often between 15 and 30 percent, to nonprofits advancing education, equality, and social justice.
In a world flooded with mass-produced “statement” wear, Raygun manages to keep its messaging smart, funny, and deeply human. The humor is often dry, even self-deprecating, more conversation starter than slogan. It is that mix of sincerity and satire that makes the brand so uniquely Midwest.
And for Chicagoans with Catholic roots, the store’s tongue-in-cheek Pope Leo merchandise is pure joy, a wink to faith, irony, and the divine comedy of modern life.
So, as protest movements take to the streets once again, stop by Raygun in Andersonville or visit raygunsite.com. Stock up on shirts that speak your truth, notebooks to record the revolution, and a tote to carry it all. Because here in Chicago, our pride and our protest often come printed in bold type.
Editor’s note:This article is not a paid advertisement or sponsored content. It was written in response to questions from readers asking where to find progressive protest merchandise in Chicago.
