The Longaberger Company

The Longaberger Company was an American manufacturer and distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets and other home and lifestyle products.

[4] Built to resemble the company's top-selling product, the "Medium Market Basket", the seven-story edifice is a well-known example of novelty architecture.

Eventually, he and his wife Bonnie Jean (Gist) Longaberger raised enough money to purchase the closed basket factory and start a business of their own.

[3] Starting in 1978, the company began selling Longaberger baskets through home shows using a multi-level marketing model.

[3] A combination of a recession and changing tastes in home decor reduced sales, which dropped from 2000's peak of $1 billion, to about $100 million in 2012.

[12] In February 2016, the company said it would sell the Basket Building and move its employees to Longaberger's factory in Frazeysburg, Ohio.

[20][21] The basket handles weigh almost 150 tons and can be heated during cold weather to prevent ice from falling onto the building's glass roof.

[26] On October 20, 2019, Heritage Ohio – the state's official historic preservation organization – held the first tour of the building since its 2016 closing as part of fundraising efforts.