At it's peak, Dave Longaberger’s company employed more than 8,200 people, making it one of the primary employers in the Dresden, Ohio area. Longaberger, the son and grandson of basket-weavers, sold America on his handmade, well-crafted Longaberger baskets with Amway-style sales associates, who earned a percentage of any commissions made by the people they recruited. The Facebook group “Preserving Dave Longaberger’s great American story” has more than 4,000 members.
“It may appear kitschy on the outside, but it’s absolutely spectacular inside,” a family member says, referencing the 30,000-square-foot atrium and curving, cherry-wood staircase. The Big Basket also boasts two enormous handles, heated during the winter to thaw ice. “The basket is a symbol of overcoming adversity, of what you can achieve,” Klein says, adding that he and his son, like Longaberger himself, have dyslexia.
