Last day for Longaberger in basket building

NEWARK, Ohio – An iconic Ohio building closed its doors at the end of the business day Thursday afternoon for the final time.

Since it opened in 1997 Longaberger Company’s basket building in Newark has been a major employer and roadside attraction for thousands. However, the company was bought by the Texas business JRJR Network a few years back and the decision was made to move all employees to their location 15 miles down the road in Frazeysburg.

Newark Mayor Jeff Hall said now they will focus on what to do with the abandoned building.

“It’s a fraction of what it was when its sales were a billion dollars a year and we had about 500 people working in the building,” said Mayor Hall. “So it’s been a long time coming. I think I’m more concerned about the next day and the beyond phase for this building to see what we can do to save it, and what else we could do to help the owners get it occupied.”

The building cost 34 million to build and each of the handles on top of the basket weighs 75 tons. JRJR Network hasn’t decided what to do with the structure, but as Mayor Hall said, seven story baskets aren’t cheap.

“Utilities and taxes are about $750,000 each year, every year. So that’s the big nut you have to crack before you can do anything else,” said Mayor Hall.

The building opened during the peak of the decorative basket trend and was the brainchild of CEO Dave Longaberger. At its peak, 500 people worked in the building. Thursday, on its last day, there were only four employees left in the building. The rest had made the move to their Frazeysburg location.

Brenton Baker was one of the four remaining employees. Today he cleaned out his desk and tomorrow he’ll start work at the much smaller location down the road.

He has worked for the company for 25 years and remembers the day it opened. He said he knows the move is in the best interest of the company and that Thursday wasn’t as depressing as he thought it would be.

“I remember on opening day Dave Longaberger standing on the top the stairs and this whole lobby was filled with people and welcoming us to our new home,” said Baker. “I don’t think there are too many seven story baskets in the United States. It’s one of those things that you just don’t expect to see. It’s one of the most iconic headquarters that a company ever had.”

Baker said as of now JRJR Network does not have a plan for what they are going to do with the building on State Route 16.