Westport’s It’s a Beautiful Day is more than just a simple music-politics-apparel-repair-art-queer-vintage shop

Erik Branstetter (left) and Fran Stanton (right) pose behind the store’s welcome mural // Photo by Hayden Kalp

While many KC record stores have come and gone, one plucky shop on Broadway has stood the test of time for over thirty years. Fires, floods, and pandemics have all tried to derail the store, but to no avail. As you walk into It’s a Beautiful Day, you are instantly greeted by the familiar smell of incense, pro-choice and anti-hate bumper stickers, a Grateful Dead Mural, and so much more.

It’s a Beautiful Day is a family-owned and operated record store and hippie boutique at 3918 Broadway Blvd.

Co-owners Fran Stanton and Erik Branstetter have spent decades cultivating one of the coolest artistic pillars in an ever-changing city. 

The self-proclaimed Dead Heads have an eclectic shop of great finds ranging from vintage trinkets to vinyl records. Starting from humble beginnings, Branstetter began operations as a woodworker competing against more cooperate manufacturers, designing and constructing much of the store’s interior. Branstetter operated Beautiful Day with late friends Dean and Lisa, who used the other half of the shop to distribute local art and other “hippie” items.

After Dean and Lisa’s passing, Many of the local hippies and artists in the Westport area pitched in to help Beautiful Day out, and it has since flourished and blossomed to this day.

“People would work a few hours a week to help out in exchange for selling their stuff on the shelf. It just became really cooperative,” says Stanton.

In the beginning, It’s a Beautiful Day focused on only carrying local products but soon changed out of necessity.

“We tried to sell only local, handmade stuff, but that only lasted for about two weeks. It just became hard to make and sell your wares like that, so we began ordering rock n’ roll shirts from local suppliers like us from around the country,” says Stanton.

Erik Branstetter (left) and Fran Stanton (right) pose behind the store’s welcome mural // Photo by Hayden Kalp

Even still, It’s a Beautiful Day still sources items from an impressive roster of over 100 local artists. They also have suppliers from across the globe, such as Africa, Thailand, or Guatemala, and even source from customers who wish to sell records and other cool items. They strive to make the store as sustainable as possible, recycling grocery bags for customers, recycling paper and cardboard for displays and posters, and repurposing in-store materials. 

One of the coolest things about It’s a Beautiful Day is the work they do within the community. They worked valiantly during the COVID lockdown, having sidewalk sales and advocating for solutions rather than discourse. They have worked with non-profits and organized voter turnout events and registration drives. They also advocate and campaign for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the legalization of cannabis. All kinds of cool shit. 

Countless other reasons make this store as special as it is, far more than one article could say. When it comes to local businesses, It’s a Beautiful Day truly stands out by not only being a brick-and-mortar icon but also dedicated community members.

“We’re grateful to have a real relationship with the community. We apply what we believe in as much as possible. There’s some soul here, and there’s honor to be given to everybody who’s put in their time to make this what it is. All of the artists, all the different staff members, through these 32 years, everybody’s left their imprint here,” says Stanton.