(Memphis) – Funeral homes and the Ford name go hand-in-hand in Memphis and now there is about to be another one in northeast Memphis.
Harold Ford, Sr. is buying a shopping center and putting in a one-stop-shop funeral home.
The best part about it, he says, is it’s bringing jobs to Memphis.
Shops like the Cajun Catfish Company are about to get a new landlord and new neighbors. Ford is buying the Sycamore View shopping center and plans an all-in-one funeral home.
“We’ve been in the business for 85 years in the Memphis area,” said Ford. “I just thought it was time to get closer to where the population has shifted in the city and move forward with that.”
The former congressman was looking to lease, but after needing more and more property, Ford claims purchasing it became a better financial option.
The property will house four different funeral services, which Ford wouldn’t go into detail about, but a crematory will be included.
He insists it will not carry any smells, “The new crematories are so sophisticated now, and none of that would take place. It is quiet you won’t even know it’s there.”
Ford says zoning made this property a good fit for what he calls, a “pop-up” funeral home. He claims more and more funeral homes are popping up in retail centers.
While it may take up to nine months to complete all four phases, Ford says in the end, it will create a lot of good paying jobs.
“There will be skill jobs, a third of them,” said Ford. “We will end up with anywhere from 75-100 jobs.”
