A north side funeral home in Columbus could soon offer mourners a new option: alcohol.
Evergreen Funeral, Cremation and Reception is set to open next year and has applied for a liquor license, which would allow it to serve alcohol during services. Owners say the move adds a unique twist to celebrating a loved one’s life and aims to change perceptions of traditional funerals.
“My role in this position is to kind of be a party planner for the dead,” Hunter Triplett, the funeral home’s owner, told WSYX. “We want it to be more of a celebration of life than the multi-day traditional services, which cost a lot of money.”
Triplett said he hopes to make funerals more affordable and less somber, with packages ranging from $5,000 to $6,000, compared to the national average of $10,000. The addition of a bar would allow families to personalize services and raise a toast to lost loved ones.
According to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, Evergreen’s application is for a D-3 liquor license, which permits the sale of beer, wine, and spirits for on-site consumption. Triplett emphasized that alcohol would only be served to those on the premises for the duration of the service.
“We will only be serving alcohol when people are on this premises and remain on the premises until the continuation of the services, just for the safety of the community,” Triplett said.
If approved, Evergreen would be the first funeral home in Ohio to hold a liquor license, according to Triplett.
“The inspector called me and was like, ‘Is this Evergreen Funeral?’ and I said, ‘Yeah,’ and they said, ‘You’re the first funeral home to get a liquor license in the state of Ohio,’” he said.
The funeral home is located on East 17th Avenue in a building that once housed the Maramor Chocolate Factory. Evergreen Cemetery sits across the street, and Triplett’s family purchased the property in 2015.
Triplett also highlighted updates to the funeral home’s website, including online translation tools to better serve traditional African and Middle Eastern families in the community.
“We want to make our services easy to manage financially and planning-wise,” he said. “It’s kind of like a one-stop shop for funeral service.”
The National Funeral Directors Association notes that some states, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and North Dakota, prohibit funeral homes from serving food or drinks. Evergreen plans to begin operations early next year.