West Columbia, SC 04/10/2021 (Paul Kirby) – When funeral home director and owner Greg Moseley decided to expand his business in the early spring of 2014, he knew he wanted to fill a void. He already owned a funeral home in northeast Richland County, but he desired to expand somewhere that was underserved with the very personal services that he provided. To Greg, when people are dealing with the end-of-life arrangements for loved ones, a funeral, making that a personal concern of his is of paramount importance.
Greg has worked in the funeral business his entire adult life. He’s experienced the industry’s change from one where almost all funeral services were provided by someone who grew up in a community, knew everyone, and was a hallmark of an area to what funeral homes have become today. Modern funeral homes are often owned by large corporations that are located far away. As the children, grandchildren, and other generations of the founding families of many funeral businesses aged, they slowly withdrew from those family businesses and followed their own dreams. In many cases, only the family’s name remained on the sign out front as a testament to who these families were and what they had done for their communities.
Greg knew he didn’t want that for his business. Since he had just started his own in business in 2007, he's been young and energetic enough to always be engaged. Greg longed for the day when the name associated with a funeral home in a community was the name of the person you met you at the door when your loved one passed. That was the name of the person who answered the phone, made sure everything went smoothly, and followed through as the process of laying someone to rest was accomplished. He knew the old way, he’d seen the new way, and he quickly decided that he wanted his business to be like the family-owned funeral homes of days gone by.
As Greg contemplated going out on his own, there was some apprehension. It was a big step, not working for someone else, but none the less, one he was ready to take. In 2007, Greg new the time was right. In June of that year, he became an owner of Kornegay & Moseley in Richland northeast.
Things went well for Greg in his business and in 2014, he was ready to expand. He grew up here in Lexington County, knew the people on this side of the Congaree well, and felt it was home. He also knew that as the corporations were gobbling up many of the funeral businesses from the older families here, people were beginning to see the change and not all were happy with them. Certainly, like everywhere else, funerals were becoming less personal and more about the profits of the corporation. Greg says it’s a nationwide trend.
“I saw a need,” Moseley said during a recent conversation. “People wanted a choice when planning a funeral, something more personal and intimate. They wanted to get back to a mom-and-pop feel like they used to have in days past,” Moseley said. “Services also had to be economical too if that’s what a family wanted,” he continued. “The cost of funerals has skyrocketed, and I knew there were ways to hold those cost down if necessary. I never felt right pressuring people to spend more than they could when they were making some of the toughest decisions of their lives. If they want a large, ornate affair, certainly we can do that. We’ve also done service where the money came from numerous GoFundMe accounts, donation jars, and community fundraisers. At Moseley’s, there’s something for everyone.” With all that in mind, Greg began looking in the Cayce – West Columbia area for a place to open Moseley Funeral & Cremation Service.
To open, Greg needed a building as a base of operations. He rode around the area looking at various properties but as soon as he saw the old house at 914 Meeting Street, he knew he had his spot. “It was an old home someone had lived in with their family and it had history,” he said. “It still has that look and feel today. When you walk in, it’s important to me for you to feel as if you’re visiting with our family. That’s the vibe this building gave off. I knew when I saw it, it would be our West Columbia chapel,” Greg said.
He immediately made the necessary arrangements to acquire the building. He furnished it with period correct antiques and furniture from the many thrift shops nearby and opened his doors with the help of his family in 2014. “To me, this business is all about family. It’s a family having to go through the loss when someone passes, and it should be my family helping you weather these tough times.” He knew what would set him apart was in his slogan; “Locally Owned, Family Operated”. He was running things and that was what he planned to offer. He was locally owned, and he would bring his family in to every aspect of dealing with your family, and together, they could offer a more personal, intimate experience than any large corporation could.
Before Greg could finish furnishing the chapel in West Columbia, apply some fresh paint, and having the carpeting installed, people started enquiring about his services. “I knew that the people of the area wanted choices, I just didn’t know how badly they wanted that. Once the phone started ringing, it became more evident.” When the doors were opened, Moseley’s Funeral Services quickly became a part of the fabric of the West Columbia area. “We knew we wanted to be a part of the community and once we opened, that happened fast,” he concluded.
The first year he was in business, Greg served 85 families who were closing the final chapter in the life of a loved one. Since then, his busiest year has been 175 services and he average 150 each year. The most amazing thing is that Greg makes them all. “I’m the owner. I make it my business to be at each service to make sure that everything goes right.”
Now, in 2021, because of the growth in his business, Greg is having to add space in West Columbia. “We already had about 6,000 square feet here. Now, we are adding a new 2,800 square foot chapel, a larger showroom, and a prep space. All this is so we can do a better job of serving the people of this community. It’s important now more than ever,” Greg said. “Since Thompson’s closed their chapel of State Street last year, were the only funeral home left in the City of West Columbia. With that comes responsibility. I know it’s a responsibility we were ready for.”
As for Greg, even though the business is growing, the personal service cannot stop. “If you call us 24/7 any day of the year, one of our family members will answer that call.”
To prove his point, Greg began to rattle off the employees of Moseley’s. “There’s my wife Melanie, my nephew Trey Moseley, my sister Kim Waters, Mr. T.A. Harman, Horace Canaday, Heather Leigh, John Hardee, Anne James, and Sarah Bradley. They are all integral to what we do. Because of them, we are able to offer that level of service that people want. They all know the community, the people, and now, as time goes by, we’re getting to know this area’s families. We’ve truly accomplished our goal of becoming a part of the West Columbia and Cayce communities.”
Least you think Moseley’s range is limited, he’ll quickly tell you about service he’s done at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. “Although we’re based in West Columbia, it’s geography doesn’t limit us. We’ll go wherever we need to go,” Moseley said.
As his business grows, Greg says he’ll stay the course that’s already made him successful. “We’re going to continue to listen the families who need us. When you call us, whether it be at 1:00 in the afternoon or at 3:00 a.m. in the morning, you’re not going to get an answering service. You’re going to get our family ready to help your family go through a tough time. That’s what’s making us grow and be successful in West Columbia and wherever we do business.”
If you’d like to know more about Moseley’s Funeral and Cremation Service, you can check out their website at https://www.moseleyfuneralservice.com. You can also go by the West Columbia Chapel at 914 Meeting Street in West Columbia, SC or call (803) 794-1743.
CAPTION: Greg Moseley with his wife and daughters.
Comments