Ok maybe its not in Dresden anymore but that is where it all started for the hand crafted baskets of Longaberger. Now headquartered in Newark Ohio Langaberger is still a family owned company ran by Tami Longaberger, daughter to Dave Longaberger and granddaughter to J.W. Longaberger who started making handcrafted maple wood baskets in the early 1900’s. The Longaberger company is known as the premier American basket maker and every piece is crafted here in the states. From the Greatest City heading east on route 16 there is no mistaking the Longaberger headquarters that resembles a giant basket.
I recently took a trip to Longaberger Homestead and Basket making experience in Frazeysburg, Ohio. Of course I knew about Longaberger baskets and how much collectors love their baskets, my mom just happens to be a huge fan of their perfectly crafted baskets. So of course I brought her along. But to be honest I was not overly excited that I was having to get up at 7:00 on a Saturday to make a trip an hour east when I could be catching up on sleep and laying around the house. Although as soon as I passed that big basket on the side of the freeway I started to think this might not be so bad after all. Its kinda like seeing a roller coaster off in the distance as you approach Cedar Point.
Making a Basket
Once we all arrived and checked in we went to the make a basket area, where we picked from a couple different shapes. You get to pick a couple of accent colors and some bling (decorative accents) to make your basket unique. Now you might think it would be hard to remain macho while making a basket but to be honest making a basket is more like wood shop than doing crafts in home economics.
Don’t worry if you don’t think you can make a basket, they team you up with a pro. In my case Justin was my master basket maker and made sure I did things right. In the end my perfectly constructed, hand crafted Longerberger basket with a Blanton twist emerged. What do you think?
Time for some Home cookin
Next we had an amazing lunch at the Homestead restaurant. I opted for the sampler with turkey and Roast beef, nestled up next to mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans. Nothing short of southern style cooking at its best. And you thought Longaberger only had baskets. In fact they have quit a bit more which I will get to in the next section. But first lets talk desert. You know I had to. The “Apple Basket” is a waffle bowl filled with warm slices of apple in a cinnamon glaze with ice cream, a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. Need I say more?
More than just baskets
Our next stop on the tour was the wish list gallery store. Filled with everything to make your home spectacular. They have furniture, art, pottery, collectible figurines and of course baskets. Since the group of bloggers that were there with me were mostly women I could see their eyes get a little wider as we walked through the gallery. It is truly every ladies dream place, that could rival any mall across the globe. Oh and did I mention they have gourmet food? I know. After that huge lunch how could I think about more food? I actually couldn’t but as soon as they started handing out samples of fudge I had to get my game face back on. After a little fudge sampling we headed over to Crawford Barn to check out discounted merchandise and get some history on the barn.
And after spending the day at Longaberger Homestead I would definitely recommend going and making a basket and taking a tour. Especially on a nice warm August day in Central Ohio.
If you’re looking for an Independent Consultant to buy some fabulous Longaberger baskets from, Heather Chilcote Would be more than happy to help you.
