You can still see, hear and taste the ’50s at Popeye’s Soda Shop, and perhaps reflect on quieter days in the not-too-distant past as you stroll the friendly Main Street of “Hometown, U.S.A.,” population 1,581.
About 300,000 visiters came here last year; more are expected to come this year, and even more next year.
They are drawn not so much by the cluster of interesting shops and restaurants as by a fascination with its chief product-Longaberger baskets.
First stop for many is the corner of Main and Fifth streets to get their picture taken in front of the World’s Largest Basket (featured in the Guinness Book of World Records), which stands 23 feet high, is 48 feet long and 11 feet wide.
The basket was woven where it stands by Longaberger weavers, using wood from 10 hardwood sugar maple trees. It took 2,000 labor-hours to complete.
Before they leave town, most tourists will walk across Main Street to visit the Longaberger Museum and visitors center, catch a shuttle out to Longaberger Plant One for a tour and learn some of the local vocabulary.
In Dresden:
– The bee is what draws thousands of Longaberger sales consultants from across the country for their annual get-together.
– A horse is a weaving stand with a vertical pole and a form to shape the basket. Longaberger has more than 1,000 horses.
– Haircut is what happens to a basket when the weaving is done. The vertical splints are trimmed and a bank is tacked around the top.
– Shoestring is the term applied to the intricate 3/16-inch weave on some baskets.
– A one-bite sundae is served at Popeye’s Soda Shop. For a small sum, you get one bite of ice cream topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry.
For the uninitiated, Longaberger baskets are sturdy wooden baskets, hand woven from strips of sugar maple. They come in about 75 styles, various sizes and are sold exclusively through home sales.
The only exception is The Dresden Basket ($29.95) sold in Dresden shops so that tourists can have a souvenir of their visit.
Basket weaving has a long history in Dresden, mostly because of the large numbers of potteries in the area, which needed sturdy baskets to handle their green ware.
John and Carrie Longaberger moved here in 1896, when John found work at the Dresden Basket Factory. His son, John Wendell, left high school in 1919 to join his father in the basket factory, and in 1936, with the company in deep financial trouble, bought both the Dresden Basket Co. and the house next door for $1,900.
His son, Dave Longaberger, an entrepreneur from childhood, believed there was a market for baskets made the old-fashioned way, and in 1973 started “J.W.’s Handwoven Baskets” with two weavers. He started to sell his baskets through home presentations in 1978, and in 1979 had 30 sales consultants and 40 employees.
In 1991, the company reached the $100 million level in sales, and continues to grow.
Last year, Plant One in Dresden shipped more than 200,000 baskets weekly during peak seasons, and Longaberger projects that the company will reach 1 billion in sales and have upward of 10,000 employees by the year 2000.
Dresden may not be the town that Longaberger built, but a good case can be made that it’s the town Longaberger rebuilt.
At Main and Fourth streets is the Longaberger Family Restaurant. Bread, sweeteners and some entrees are served in baskets, and dozens more are used as decorations inside.
Across the street is the Dresden Village Association, formed in 1987 when Dave Longaberger, founder of The Longaberger Co., asked concerned village residents to meet in his home to share a vision of a revitalized community. The association now counts hundreds of villagers as members and active supporters.
A short walk away is Popeye’s Soda Shop, with ’50s music and decor, and waitresses in ’50s-style clothes.
Just down the street are the renovated Main Street Shops.
Across the way is the former Grand Hotel.
Dresden is on Ohio State Route 60, about 16 miles north of Zanesville, Ohio.
The tour of The Longaberger Museum, 417 Main St., is free, and the museum gift shop sells an easy-to-use map and Dresden guide for $1. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., April-October, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. November-March, except holidays.
A free shuttle is provided from the museum to Longaberger Plant One for tours (also free), which permit visitors to walk about a quarter-mile along a mezzanine, watching weavers making a variety of baskets below. Children and cameras are welcome. The shuttle runs 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday, except holidays. If you drive, take State Rt. 60 north 2 miles, then turn left on State Rt. 16 2.8 miles to the Longaberger sign.
Weaving ends daily at 1 p.m., so visitors must be there no later than 12:30 p.m. to see the entire operation. The plant is open for tours 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, but the Dresden Shuttle and the weavers have the day off.
Information on special holiday hours (including information on village activities, restaurants and shops) can be obtained from the Longaberger Guest Relations office, 614-754-6330.
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The Longaberger Museum is fully accessible; the Longaberger Plant One has an elevator to accommodate those in wheelchairs who are interested in touring the plant.
