Going to work would be a picnic in this giant basket-shaped office building

The 180,000 square-foot office building is a steal, on the market for about half of what such spaces sell for in the Ohio area about 40 miles outside Columbus.

But there’s just one thing that has deterred potential buyers: It’s shaped like a giant picnic basket, complete with woven sides and giant handles that stretch toward the sky.

It has been on the market for a year and a half, but so far no one wants a bite out of this picnic.

“It’s a very challenging building,” the basket’s listing agent Michael Guagenti told Bloomberg. “We have had a couple [offers] but nothing that materialized.”

The building served as the headquarters of Longaberger Co., which makes picnic baskets. Hence, the desire to construct an office shaped like their signature product. But sales have declined in recent years, down to $100 million from $1 billion, which led the company to consolidate employees out of the themed building to a factory close by.

Guagenti said the building is one of the largest in the area, with its distance from the nearest city adding to the challenge. He has approached nearby companies to gauge interest in moving into the picnic basket, but not many have enough employees to fill the space. He said that despite the unique outside, the interior is perfectly normal.

“There’s nothing baskety inside,” Guagenti said. “Nothing makes you feel like it’s in a basket. You feel like you’re in a nice, high-rise office building.”

He has also explored the prospect of converting the building into a nursing home, call center, hotel or convention center. Its success as a tourist attraction may be limited, as the area is too remote to see many tourists.

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Going to work would be a picnic in this giant basket-shaped office building."