The Longaberger Company

The Longaberger Company is an American manufacturer of handcrafted maple wood baskets and offers other home and lifestyle products, including pottery, wrought iron, fabric accessories and specialty foods. It is one of the primary employers in the southeastern Ohio area near Dresden, OhioFact|date=January 2008. Started in Dresden, the company is now headquartered in Newark, Ohio. A family-owned and operated business, the Longaberger Company was started by Dave Longaberger, and after his death is owned by daughters Tami Longaberger and Rachel Longaberger. Although Longaberger is a family-owned business, there are approximately 45,000 independent home consultants located in all U.S. states who sell Longaberger products directly to customers.

The Longaberger corporate headquarters on State Route 16 is a local landmark and a well-known example of novelty architecture, since it takes the shape of their biggest seller, the "Medium Market Basket". [cite-web|url=http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/longa/longa.html|title=Longaberger Company Home Office|author=Sullivan, Mary Ann|publisher=Art History Webmaster Assoc|accessdate=2008-01-08] Originally, Dave Longaberger wanted all of the Longaberger buildings to be shaped like baskets, but only the headquarters was completed by his death. After his death, further basket-shaped buildings were vetoed by his daughters.

Each basket is signed and dated by the maker and the company's stamp is placed on the bottom.

History

Basket-making started with Dave's father J.W. Longaberger in 1919 when he took an apprenticeship with The Dresden Basket Factory. Eventually J.W. came to love and perfect the art of basket making. Even when The Dresden Basket Factory closed as a result of The Great Depression, he still made baskets on the weekends. He and his wife Bonnie Jean Longaberger (Gist) eventually raised enough money to purchase the closed basket factory and start a business of their own. [cite web|url=http://www.longaberger.com/companyHistory.aspx|title=The History of The Longaberger Company|author=The Longaberger Company|accessdate=2008-01-08]

Longaberger's handcrafted baskets and other home and lifestyle products, including pottery, wrought iron, fabric accessories and specialty foods, are sold across the nation through nearly 60,000 independent home consultants, a method of direct marketing similar to Tupperware parties.

Longaberger's sales peaked in the 1980s and 1990s, concurrent with "country" home decorating trends. Longaberger has seen a decline in sales in recent years. In 2004, many consultants and district sales coordinators were forced to accept a reduction in their commissions.

Reference(s)

See also

* [http://www.longaberger.com The Longaberger Company]
* [http://www.longaberger.com/longabergerFamily.aspx Longaberger Family History]
* [http://travel.discovery.com/tv/ratzenberger-america/goods/longaberger.html The Travel Channel "John Ratzenberger's Made In America".]
* [http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/longaberger/ World Collectors Net Longaberger Information and Message Board]
* [http://www.gramasoft.com/longaberger.htm How to identify a real Longaberger]