Two steady paychecks from Longaberger Co. For two years, four days a week after work, Jackie drove an hour west to Columbus to earn her massage-therapy license. When the layoff notice eventually came from Longaberger in , she was more prepared than most. Two recessions later, fewer than 1, work there. Longaberger once used nearly 70, consultants across the U. That number is around 30, today.
During the past decade, the Dresden area actually has prospered more than the rest of Ohio. The median household income in the Muskingum County community increased 25 percent, compared with about 17 percent for the entire state, in figures not adjusted for inflation.
People no longer spend with credit cards. They have older cars. They shop more at Walmart. When friends come over, hosts grill hamburgers and hot dogs β not steaks, as in the past.
Dinners out and vacations are scaled back or skipped altogether. Eric Williams, 39, wove baskets at Longaberger for 14 years until having surgery. Now, he owns NTEK Auto Sales, a used-car dealership with vehicles parked on a hill at the northwestern edge of town. With few employees, he keeps the overhead low. Any profits are being put into a planned expansion.
He hopes to thrive once the property is paid off in full. I come to work when I want. She also used to work at Longaberger before asking to be let go so someone else would not get a pink slip. Gary Brown, 65, lost his job when a Coshocton appliance store went out of business.
