MARSHALL — It might have seemed like an unusual place to gather and socialize. But as people arrived at Hamilton Funeral Home’s chapel last week, owner David Sprik said he hoped to answer questions, and make his business more approachable for people.

“We’re trying to make it open and honest,” Sprik said — to “take some of the unknowns out” of funeral planning.

Sprik said that philosophy was part of the reason Hamilton Funeral Home and Cremation Services was taking part in Business After Hours, a monthly event held by the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce at different local businesses. People mingled with area residents and Hamilton staff, and got a chance to see some of the updates that have been made at the funeral home over the past few years.

David Sprik and his wife Elly became owners of Hamilton Funeral Home in 2014, when previous owners Doug and Chari Hamilton retired. But, David Sprik said, he had worked with Doug Hamilton before that. And it was a visit to the funeral home as part of his studies at Southwest Minnesota State University that helped set Sprik on the path to becoming a funeral director, he said.

Over the past few years, Sprik said he’s been working to update the funeral home and make it a welcoming place for people.

“We’ve been updating what we can, when we can,” he said. Besides providing a welcoming atmosphere, Sprik said in the long term he wanted to be able to offer people more options, for funeral services that were more personalized to them.

Some of the renovations have included some new paint and furnishings, as well as a new reception area. The funeral home’s garage has also been completely renovated, Elly Sprik said — the work added insulation, new garage doors, and other updates, she said.

Some of the updates at the funeral home were meant to help make funeral planning easier for families, Sprik said. For example, the Spriks converted some former office spaces at the funeral home into a children’s room, and a waiting area more suited for older kids and teens.

The staff at Hamilton Funeral Home has grown, too, David Sprik said.

“We’ve expanded our employees a bit,” he said. In addition to Elly and himself, Hamilton Funeral Home has added part-time funeral and event assistants, a part-time licensed funeral director, and an office assistant.

The Spriks said their focus was on helping people and families as they make funeral arrangements. Having a chance to build connections with local families was part of the draw to come back to Marshall, David Sprik said.

“If we can help a family through this . . . then we’ve accomplished our goal,” David Sprik said.