Earlier this year, the Longaberger company closed.

For those who never dealt with Longaberger, it was a blip on the news. Others rolled their eyes about the “overpriced baskets”. As for me, I’m in mourning.

I bought my first Longaberger basket from my best friend in 1999. (It is pictured below). Back in those days, most sales were in homes, via a party. I went to several parties, and would buy items that caught my eye. I like a country look in my home, and the fact that they were made in America made me like them even more.

Several years later, I became a consultant- mostly so I could get a discount. Soon, though, the name Longaberger came to mean so much more to me.

One of my best friends was a very successful consultant, and also a great trip planner. We began an annual fall journey up to Dresden, Ohio, with a group of girlfriends.

We live in a part of the South that doesn’t see fall, and our trips immersed us in fall splendor. We stayed at local bed and breakfast inns, crunching through fallen leaves, and drinking hot cocoa.

Dresden, Ohio, is an all American small town. It’s a lovely town, and when we were there, it was thriving. During peak season, dozens and dozens of tour buses would empty into downtown Dresden. It is the home of the Longaberger family, and the shops were full of Longaberger factory products, as well as craft stores, candy stores, and even an old IGA.

The whole town would be decorated for fall and Halloween. We’d eat handfuls of fresh made kettle corn, holding us off until we would go to Popeye’s for lunch. This was not the chain restaurant, but the restaurant where the founder, Dave Longaberger, worked in his youth. Patty melts and one bite sundaes were the treats we savored.

We would also spend a day at the factory store and the Homestead. We’d make our own basket, and I got to know firsthand the love the weavers had for their company. We were greeted warmly, and proudly took our creations home, with our initials next to the expert weavers initials on the bottom of our basket.

The Homestead was a collection of stores full to the brim with baskets, crafts, garden trinkets, stuffed animals, kitchen ware, and edible delights. With a huge basket of apples decorating one end of the street, we’d walk down to the barn at the other end. All the way through, the pride in their brand, and their love of country, was evident in the employees who greeted us.

We went back for several years in a row. I loved it every time. I bought many gifts for family and friends, shipping them home from the Homestead.

At night, we had dinner in the cozy B&B, or went downtown to join the Longaberger family members my friend had become acquainted with. Many laughs, much love, and a little karaoke happened on those nights.

My heart broke when I read of the closure of the Longaberger factory. My heart aches for the weavers. Also for the town, that now has rows of empty store fronts. No more tour buses come through.

I love all my baskets and pottery and ironwork, along with the other items I bought in Dresden over the years.

The years I spent going to Dresden are always going to be treasured memories for my friends and I.

I pray Dresden will be able to survive the loss of the factory.