The Longaberger Company
American manufacturer and distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Longaberger Company was an American manufacturer and distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets and other home and lifestyle products. The company opened in 1973, was acquired in 2013 by CVSL, Inc., and closed in 2018. The following year, Xcel Brands acquired the intellectual property and relaunched the brand, expanding it to include home goods such as furniture, food, jewelry and other handcrafted products.[1]
Company type | Public |
---|---|
XELB | |
Founded | Dresden, Ohio, US (January 1, 1973 (1973-01-01)) |
Founder | Dave Longaberger |
Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Robert W. D’Loren (CEO) |
Products | Baskets, Home Décor, Furniture, Wellness, and Jewelry. |
Owner | Robert W. D’Loren |
Parent | Xcel Brands www |
Website | www |
Founded by Dave Longaberger, the family-owned and -operated company used multi-level marketing to sell its products. It was one of the primary employers in Dresden, Ohio, before it moved to Newark, Ohio, in 1997.[2] At its peak in 2000, it had $1 billion in sales,[3] employed more than 8,200 people directly, and had about 45,000 independent distributors (called Home Consultants) selling its products directly to customers. Along with baskets, the product line eventually included wrought iron products, pottery, wooden lids, and other products.[4]
Its former corporate headquarters on Ohio's State Route 16 is a local landmark known as the "Big Basket".[5] 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.[6]