‘It’s going to be fabulous,’ Putting Style Into Saying Goodbye
When Steven Wilson was diagnosed with terminal acute myeloid leukemia he was flooded with memories of his boyfriend’s funeral in 2014. He soured remembering the minister only knowing his partner’s name and nothing more, Wilson told the New York Times.
“The whole thing was just utterly impersonal,” Wilson said. The 47-year-old remembers hearing a medley of ‘November Rain’ playing the day of the funeral–the Guns N’ Roses ballad his boyfriend “never once” listened to.
Funeral homes are listening to customers' demands. When Wilson was walking near his home in Chiswick, UK, in 2020 he happened upon a blue storefront with the words “Exit Here” emblazoned above the entrance.
“What a brilliant name,” he thought to himself.
People walking by Exit Here could easily mistake it for a boutique gallery or even an ultramodern tattoo shop. Upon entering the morgue with velvet upholstery and curved archways, potential clientele are greeted by someone from the 12-person staff in a way one would usually only see at a hotel or high-end restaurant.
“It’s still a service industry,” Oliver Peyton, the founder of Exit Here, says. “We’re taking care of people at a very heightened emotional period in their lives.”
In another life Peyton was the founder of the posh Atlantic Bar & Grill in West London and served as a judge on the BBC show “Great British Menu.” But in 2010 when Peyton’s father died he became fascinated with the mortuary business. His experience led him to realize that people don’t have many choices when it comes to end-of-life services.
Through Peyton’s vision, Exit Here provides
an array of caskets ranging from saturated, multi-colored Day of the Dead cardboard to containers with soft curves and pastel paintscapes. Some urns look like jewel-colored YETI water bottles or petrified wood vases. Peyton insists that the display is more than a show–his business provides personalized memorials, bereavement support groups and any detail the client might request, really.
Funeral directors should take note. Clients have been increasingly insisting on customizations for funerals, according
to RokFinancial. The financing agency lays out the ways customers are looking for consumer preferences: more cremations, live virtual memorials and eco-conscious services.
“Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all funeral services,” the report reads. “[Consumers want] custom urns to eco-friendly burial options, businesses are adapting to meet the evolving demands of a discerning clientele.”
Exit Here doesn’t stand alone. Places such as Sparrow in New York, Poppy’s in London and Altima in Spain are dedicated to providing modern–dare we say fun–services for those who may be going through the darkest time of their lives.
Sparrow, located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was described by its owner Erica Hill as being similar to a Sweetgreen of Soulcycle. “They repackage something, rebrand it and make it look cool,” she said. “What we’re doing is in the same realm.”
Thanks to Exit Here, Wilson says his own funeral will be “fabulous.” He describes friends and family meeting in his hometown in Scotland to lay his body to rest in a coffin with a rainbow flag draped over it. Memory books broken up into eras of Wilson’s life will be handed out. It’s “very Taylor Swift,” he explains. Wilson’s favorite musical scores playing “Bring Me Home” from “Les Miserables” and “Tomorrow” from “Annie” will play.
“It sounds strange, but I want people to enjoy it.”
