The Longaberger Company
Encyclopedia
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
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
Dresden, Ohio
Dresden is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, along the Muskingum River at the mouth of Wakatomika Creek. It was incorporated on March 9, 1835...
, Ohio. Started in Dresden, the company is now headquartered in Newark
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
, Ohio. A family-owned and operated business, the Longaberger Company was started by Dave Longaberger
Dave Longaberger
David H. "Dave" Longaberger was an American businessman who founded the Longaberger Company, makers of handcrafted maple wood baskets and accessories. Dave has two daughters, Tami Longaberger, who is CEO of the Longaberger Company, and Rachel Longaberger Stukey, President of the 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 throughout the U.S. who sell Longaberger products directly to customers, a method of direct marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
similar to Tupperware
Tupperware
Tupperware is the name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, containment, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946....
parties. Each basket is signed and dated by the maker and the company's stamp is placed on the bottom.
The Longaberger corporate headquarters on State Route 16 is a local landmark and a well-known example of novelty architecture
Novelty architecture
Novelty architecture is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes as a novelty, such as advertising, notoriety as a landmark, or simple eccentricity of the owner or architect. Many examples of novelty architecture take the form of buildings that...
, since it takes the shape of their biggest seller, the "Medium Market Basket". The basket handles weigh almost 150 tons and can be heated during cold weather to prevent ice damage. Originally, Dave Longaberger
Dave Longaberger
David H. "Dave" Longaberger was an American businessman who founded the Longaberger Company, makers of handcrafted maple wood baskets and accessories. Dave has two daughters, Tami Longaberger, who is CEO of the Longaberger Company, and Rachel Longaberger Stukey, President of the Longaberger...
wanted all of the Longaberger buildings to be shaped like baskets, but only the headquarters was completed at the time of his death. After his death, further basket-shaped buildings were vetoed by his daughters.
History
Basket-making started with Dave's father J.W. Longaberger in 1919 when he took an apprenticeshipApprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
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.