The J.W. Woodward Funeral Home is not only Spartanburg’s oldest black-owned family businesses, but one of the oldest -- period.
Today, it serves as an inspiration to other entrepreneurs in the city.
“Starting a business is difficult for anyone but even harder for African-Americans due to a myriad of things,” said Natasha Pitts, minority business development coordinator for the city. “Nothing happens for any business until they acquire customers and make sales of their goods or services.
“The city looks to established businesses such as J.W. Woodward as inspiration for how businesses can grow and become staples in the community.”
Woodward’s roots go back to 1916 during the Jim Crow era, when whites dominated the business community in Spartanburg and elsewhere.
J.F. Floyd of Floyd’s Mortuary of Spartanburg suggested that John Woodward and others organize a local mortuary for citizens of color.
The John W. Woodward Funeral home was first located on Short Wofford Street, then moved to its current location at 594 Howard St. in 1946 -- the site of a former hospital for African-Americans in Spartanburg.
John Woodward died in 1947. His son, John Stinson Woodward, returned to Spartanburg upon graduating from the Renard College of Mortuary Science in New York to serve as owner of the J.W. Woodward Funeral Home Inc. He was the driving force behind the business for most of his life.
During his ownership, John Stinson Woodward provided many services for residents, churches and businesses of color -- such as ambulance service and banking and loan services for individuals, businesses and churches.
Daughter Kay Elizabeth Woodward, today’s owner, said she recalls when the funeral home offered ambulance service and laundromats on South Liberty Street and Highland Avenue.
“When I was a child, when someone was sick, they called the funeral home for an ambulance,” she said. “We provided a service that was not available (to African-Americans).”
K.E. Woodward had been a psychology professor at Converse College when she joined the funeral home full-time in 1985 as vice president. She became president and owner at the time of her father’s death in 2002.
Her son, James Cleveland Ferguson Jr., and daughter, Stinson Woodward Ferguson, a licensed attorney, are today both important members of the staff.
So are funeral directors William E. Smith and Thomas Massey, as well as a diverse support staff of professional men and women.
K.E. Woodward said the business is the oldest black family-owned business still in operation in the Upstate.
One reason the business has been so successful has been its ability to adapt to the times.
“It’s not the same industry as it was when I started full-time here in 1985,” she said. “I feel we’ve been trendsetters.”
The business has continued to expand services offered at affordable rates, with quality never sacrificed, she said.
“Quality service -- that is what’s important to the families,” she said. “Everybody we serve is special to us.”
Another secret is the solid relationship that’s been developed with the Sheriff’s Office, hospitals and the Coroner’s Office.
“Everybody is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of time of day,” she said.
The funeral home’s chapel was built in 1979 and is able to seat 600 people. There are two viewing rooms as well.
The staff will also travel to conduct services elsewhere, she said.
“We had a green burial near Columbia -- no embalming or caskets,” she said. “The family wanted to do their own service. We were outside in just a beautiful wooded area where she was buried.”
A member of the Converse College Board of Trustees, K.E. Woodward remains active in the community and hopes to be an inspiration to other African-American entrepreneurs.
“I take the business seriously,” she said. “It’s not just a job.”
Meanwhile, Pitts said the city looks to established businesses such as J.W. Woodward Funeral Home as an inspiration of how others “can grow and become staples in the community.
“As we look at Black History Month, we reflect on a time when we had a strong network of black businesses and understand the role the city played then and now,” Pitts said.
“Entrepreneurs in Spartanburg have access to several small business coaches and business accelerator programs like the City of Spartanburg’s Amplify program. These programs will continue to work to remove barriers to entry and help entrepreneurs grow, develop their businesses and build their capacity.
“Seek out some of these African- American owned businesses you may have never used. Give them an opportunity to earn your business. All businesses need the same things to survive and thrive. They need to generate enough revenue to make a profit.”
