Longaberger Travel 4: Boardwalk and other Tote Baskets

 As if the Good Ol' Summertime name in itself wasn't exciting enough for a Longaberger Basket series, its fifth year introduced Boardwalk Baskets in three sizes. Rich padded and stitched leather handles were so much more comfy than wooden ones, and the oval top tapering to a rectangular base was very user-friendly. The Boardwalk Baskets showcased Longaberger quality.

A boardwalk is a raised wooden path, often built where it is hard to walk, such as on sand or wet ground. In America, sand and water are important ingredients for summer fun, especially in those lucky states along the coasts. Boardwalks became traditional summer destinations with hotels, restaurants, stores, activities, and more built alongside. Longaberger's beautiful Boardwalk Baskets hearkened back to fun summer trips in style. 

Longaberger's WishList offered Large, Medium, and Small Boardwalk Baskets in different stain colors. Sometimes Longaberger included Boardwalk or other Tote Baskets with exclusive stain colors as a gift with trips earned  by Consultants. Longaberger Consultants earned generous incentive trips through the years and were treated royally . . . and then gifted with a very exclusive basket too! Wow!  

Useful as the Boardwalk Baskets are, they aren't Longaberger's only comfortable carrying baskets. Other Tote Baskets have similar shapes and long leather straps and are just as useful for carrying all sorts of items. As a school teacher, I appreciated these Tote Baskets (and several more!)  through the years and put lots of miles on them back and forth to school. They carried heavy loads with ease and rode well sitting on the floorboard of my Explorer behind my seat.

Pictured from the top are a Large Boardwalk, a Sales Leader Career Tote, a Mother's Day Weekend Tote, a Chestnut Carry All, and a Spectator Tote  Basket. I also enjoy using the Village Basket, a shorter and wider Tote that Longaberger created in some wonderful stain color combinations over the years such as Summer Lovin'.

My Large Boardwalk Basket is a prototype that was never offered. The American Celebrations Medium Boardwalk was chosen for the 2007 campaign over this Large one. The notations on the basket's bottom give much more information than usual--hopefully you can zoom in on them. Longaberger sold special, one-of-a-kind prototype baskets at Longaberger Homestead in Ohio in later years before they closed in 2018.