Ohio’s Longaberger Basket Building Faces Foreclosure
A basket-shaped sightseeing oddity in Newark, Ohio will soon be vacant and ready for the next company to move in – that is, if anyone is interested. The Longaberger basket company has done their business in the building for nearly 20 years, yet an economy no longer so interested in quality woven receptacles has forced them to relocate to a more modest setting.
The giant “medium market” basket was a thrill for road trippers, but offered little more than a photo opportunity. The Frazeyburg located Londaberger Marketplace provides visitors with factory tours and a chance to purchase an actual basket – a better fit for a shrinking company and public demand. Right now foreclosure is looming over the building. If no one jumps on the steep minimum bid of $570,000 (plus court costs), the building will go to the county’s land bank.
More here…
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Not surprised! The wife was a Longaberger sales consultant. It cost us serious cash to come on board. You just didn’t walk in off the street and say “I wanna sell baskets!” Dave demanded serious commitment! In return he included you in the profits with generous commissions and profit sharing incentives.
Then he died.
The kids got greedy! After all, all that commission money would look sooooooooo much better in our pockets than those dime-a-dozen employees,right? Experienced ,devoted people were canned en masse or left in disgust,(including my wife.). Sales goals for commissions were impossible to meet. Other than the basket weaving itself, almost everything else was outsourced to China for cheap, but with no reduction in price. So much for “Made in America.”
Bad news travels fast! Word got around, and the rest, as they say, was history.
Sorry to see Dave’s legacy going down hill.
Shame he didn’t teach his brats better!