My good friend, Sally, and I met for a Girl’s Trip in Columbus this summer and what a great time we had. This will be the first of a couple posts highlighting some of the things that we saw when we were there. One day was devoted to going to Dresden and seeing all things Longaberger. Now if you don’t know what Longaberger is I can fill you in a little bit. Dave Longaberger founded the company in 1973 based on his family’s basketmaking heritage. The rest is history. The success of Longaberger and their marketing strategies is evident today as “home parties” and consultants still thrive even in the economy that suggests that buying expensive baskets is not a priority.
I have my share of Longaberger baskets and pottery (yes–they do more than baskets!) thanks to a good friend of my sister who has been a consultant for years. Ebay is also a great source for securing baskets along with estate sales. They are everywhere. When I suggested to Sally that we take the hour trek to Dresden to see the World’s Largest Basket she was all in and we had a delightful day in Dresden and then later at the Homestead where Longaberger has a fabulous little space set aside for all things Longaberger.
In Dresden we did the obligatory tourist shot by the largest basket.
Then it was off to the Homestead (another post) and finally to see the Longaberger Home Office which is located in this fabulous building.
A few facts:
- Building Capacity = 500 employees
- Building Footage: 180,000 square feet
- Total Weight of Building = about 9000 tons
- Total weight of handles = 150 tons
- Number of windows = 84
- Seven stories
- 160 times larger than the medium market basket
- The handles are heated with a humidity sensor to prevent ice from forming
If you are ever in the Columbus, Ohio area you need to make a quick stop to see this beauty in real life. What a fun place and what a wonderful quote from Grandma Bonnie.
