Longaberger

Once, I was driving around and happened across a giant basket by the side of the road. A HUGE basket. Several stories tall. I was so confused, I blinked a couple times to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing.
Later that evening, I Googled the basket and found out it’s actually the headquarters of the Longaberger basket company. How unique and delightful! And just off some road in a random small town in Ohio.
Curious one time, I parked at Longaberger and walked inside… just to find a regular office building with an open lobby. I don’t know what I expected — probably just what I found — so I was a tad disappointed. But that’s OK.
It’s kind of the outside of the building that counts.
Great roadside attraction! Do pull over and snap photos if you can.

I understand the building is not full with employees but really can you hose it down? The top levels are very dirty.

I had hoped for a tour. The roadside attraction website I found this on talked about tours. Sadly, the tours are of a different facility NOT shaped like a giant basket.
However, this is a seven story tall building, made from concrete, and shaped like a picnic basket.
My family is so tolerant of my crazy plans. We drove 45 minutes out of the way to eat a picnic in front of this building. This was a weird dream of mine for a couple of years. (Yes, years.) we had the perfect weather and we ate a delightful sandwich basking in the glory of this building.
I immediately put up pictures on social media and that was met with skepticism from my friends, which is hilarious!
Pros: it’s funny and one of a kind.
Cons: it really is just roadside photo-​op.

The Longaberger Company has gone downhill as is same with the popularity of their baskets. Once employing a few thousand, now down to a few hundred. We stopped at the home office. The grounds needed mowing and the shrubs needed trimming and weeding. Only one tour bus stopped while I was there. Baskets still very expensive. Also visited longaberger homestead, same situation, run down, some items were marked down, very few customers.

In my opinion this is a must visit roadside attraction. Where else can you see a giant building that is in the shape of a basket? Make sure to also visit the Longaberger Homestead for the giant basket of apples that is about 15 – 20 minutes east of here.

A great architectural gem if you are driving across Ohio. Watch out for the cops and stop to take a picture or browse their store for baskets and ceramics. They’ve been keeping it local for the last hundred years! Think Avon for baskets…

my friends and I make a point to go visit this ridiculously wonderful building as often as possible.

I’m not a person who likes or appreciates woven baskets. However, I received a Longaberger wooden basket as a gift and I visited the home office. The home office building has an interesting «roadside attraction» look — it’s a replica of their Medium Market Basket. The home office is open for tours and they have a gift shop there where you can buy baskets and pottery. The baskets even have fancy accessories like different types of fabric liners and lids.
The baskets are handmade in Dresden, Ohio and a medium basket costs $ 70. I store my lipglosses in my basket. It feels sturdy and it even has a brass plaque with the brand, date, and name of the basket. It’s actually signed on the bottom. Maybe it will wind up on Antiques Roadshow one day.

Ok, so I don’t buy into the whole basket-​mania that this area does, but I do appreciate true craftsmanship when I see it. And the corporate headquarters is just too cool.

Carefully woven crack for people that are too cool to throw Tupperware parties.

Five starts for having a building that looks like a big picnic basket! So cool!
The Longaberger Company makes handcrafted maple and wood baskets, and they’re tinkering with ceramic bowls and sets, too.
The company keeps the small town where they’re located employed and financially stable, and they’re family-​owned and operated since J.W. Longaberger built the company in the early 1900’s…in other words, no one is answering phones in India… hallelujah!
The building itself is modeled after their most popular basket, the medium market basket. The current owner, Dave Longaberger, wanted all of his buildings shaped like on of their baskets, but he bit the dust before he could see that happen. His daughters decided against their father’s idea and instead went on a pilgrimage to become the next Paris and Nicky Hilton.
Their baskets are quality, made by American hands (Salute flag. Start humming Star Spangled Banner). It’s a little too Martha Stewarty for me, and some of the stuff is just plain hokey. But the ones I’ve received as gifts from my mom-​in-​law are lovely, and I am trying to find places for them all instead of stuffing them in the basement.
Some ideas…
1) Play Dorothy every day. Freak out your friends.
2) Proudly display in home and become known as «creepy ol’ basket lady» to all of the neighborhood kids.
3) Make a hot air balloon for your gerbil and let him float around the house.
4) Switch off wearing the tie and pork-​pie hat with your hubby and pretend you’re in Jellystone Park. Take turns being Yogi and Boo Boo… or if you’re really kinky, Park Ranger Smith. Pic-​a-​nic basket can be used as a prop… hay, hay, hay
5) Little Red Riding Hood? …HOT.

Going to hell in a handbasket?
Make it a Longaberger!
They are… quite simply… the best.
They make some great stoneware, too.