LONGABERGER

BASKETS

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Excellence in Quality and Design

Longaberger’s corporate office is located in a basket (above); a very big basket, actually seven stories tall and a replica of one of their products--only 160 times larger.

Quite visible along SR 16 on the East edge of Newark, OH, the basket/building can house 500 employees and features a floor-to-roof, 30,000 square foot atrium.

The handles of the office basket building alone weigh 150 tons each and are heated to prevent the formation of ice.

The company’s production and visitor’s complex is located about 17 miles East of Newark near Frazeysburg. They call that location the Homestead and it is a very classy operation, indeed.

When I inquired about the acreage of that complex the welcome center lady responded, “We have no idea, but, the manufacturing building is 21 acres under roof and could contain 17 football fields.”

Two hundred and fifty employees there can produce 3,500 baskets daily.

In the factory shop Sue saw a red, white and blue accented basket she thought would make a nice fund raiser for our Memorial Day square dance, but at a cost of $100 we were nearly guaranteed to lose money on that thought.

Attendance was sparse on the day of our recent visit—a mild but rainy Sunday. Yet, a favorite attraction was an area of the factory where guests could build their own basket—for about 60 bucks each.

There was another rustic building where visitors could make their own souvenir butterflies out of colorful, basket weaving materials for 5 bucks. That building was located beside a replica of the Longaberger family home.

Behind a very spacious welcome center is their Homestead Shop, an extremely tasteful, multi-story complex of shops featuring home and apparel selections in abundance.

Yet, in spite of its very classy operation and reputation for fine quality products their current employment level is down from a recent high of 2,000 employees. Some speculate that is the result of the current recession.

Others point out; however, their decline preceded the country’s current economic problems. Their sales reportedly peaked in the 1980s and 1990s, concurrent with “Country” decorating trends.

It also has been suggested they are in the process of changing their business model from predominantly home sales to being Internet based.

Regardless of their challenges, their products remain highly desirable and their facilities are a pleasure to visit.

In the small photo top right lady friend Sue Brooks looks over a corner of the 21 acre sized factory building while immediately above she is enjoying a walkway that spans the entire factory floor and features many informative panels of company history. The very elegant entrance to the Homestead Shop complex is pictured below.