Have you ever wondered where your lost luggage ends up?
Look no further than a store called Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama, about 150 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Airports are expected to be busiest between Christmas and New Year this year, and airlines are sure to lose a bag or two as a result.
“With five decades of experience handling large quantities of unique items, we maximize each item’s potential for a second life,” says Unclaimed Baggage’s website.
Unclaimed Baggage says aviation technology reunites more than 99.5 percent of baggage with its owners. However, if a bag is still unclaimed after a three-month search, less than 0.03 percent of the bags are orphaned and end up on the shelves of the Alabama store.
Unclaimed Baggage is the only lost baggage storage facility in the country and becomes the destination of all distributed baggage as it has contracts with all domestic airlines.
Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama – about 150 miles northwest of Atlanta – is the destination for all lost luggage and the only store of its kind in the country
Once the bags arrive in stores, they are divided into three categories: resale, reuse or recycling
Items listed on the site include branded clothing, jackets, handbags, accessories, homewares, sporting goods and electronics
Once the bags arrive at the store, employees sort them into three categories: resale, reuse or recycling.
About a third of the items are sold and prices are based on estimated sale value and conditions.
When an item is reused, it is donated to communities around the world. If items must be discarded, they ensure that all personal information is destroyed and the items are properly recycled.
Items listed on the site include designer clothing, jackets, handbags, accessories, home goods, sporting goods and electronics.
“I would say people come here to shop in our clothing department. The sales area here covers a sales area of 50,000 square meters and the sales area offers 7,000 new items every day. So it really is a treasure hunt,” Unclaimed Baggage PR Manager Sonni Hood told DailyMail.com.
The Found Treasures Museum opened in 2023 and one of its finds is none other than Hoggle from the fantasy film Labyrinth (pictured).
These three heads are also a showcase for the Found Treasure Museum, where the strangest finds of recent years are on display.
They found three Birkin bags in the store’s history, two of them this year.
They sold one last month that was valued at about $30,000 and sold for $15,000.
Hood said the most expensive item the store ever sold was a men’s platinum Rolex presidential watch, which sold for $64,000 and $32,000.
They found three Birkin bags in the store’s history, two of them this year. They sold one last month that was valued at about $30,000 and sold for $15,000.
Hood said the charity Reclaimed for Good was the “heartbeat” behind Unclaimed Baggage.
“Our goal in taking these bags and deciding whether we want to sell, donate or recycle them is that we want to use these items forever. We want to keep them out of the landfill and get the most out of them,” Hood said.
Her charitable activities include donating prescription glasses to Lions Club International and donating suitcases to children in foster care.
Unclaimed Baggage Liaison Manager Sonni Hood said the clothing section attracts the most people
Hood said the most expensive item sold at the store was a Rolex platinum presidential men’s watch.
The business was founded in 1970 when Doyle Owens bought his first load of unclaimed baggage from Trailways Bus Line in Washington, DC with a borrowed pickup truck and a $300 loan.
In 1995, Doyle’s son Bryan and his wife Sharon took over the business and expanded the business to more than a city block. A cafe and treasure museum was opened in 2023.
Many iPhones are left behind on flights by their former owners.
Underneath the Found Treasures Museum is this cowboy hat signed by Muhammad Ali (pictured above).
“On average, for every item sold, we donate another item to someone in need,” the store’s website states.
The business was founded in 1970 when Doyle Owens bought his first load of unclaimed luggage from Trailways Bus Line in Washington, DC with a borrowed pickup truck and a $300 loan.
At first the store was only open two days a week, but after Doyle got a contract with Eastern Airlines, it became so popular that the store opened full time.
In 1981, the store launched its first ski sale, which became an annual tradition on the first Saturday in November, attracting customers to camp out in the parking lot to be first in line.
In 1995, Doyle’s son Bryan and his wife Sharon took over and expanded the business to more than a city block, adding a cafe and a treasure museum, which opened in 2023.
Called Cups Café, the cafe offers its visitors menu options including sandwiches, salads, coffee and sweets.
To celebrate the store’s 50th anniversary in 2020, they opened an online store, but had to postpone their road tour.
Finally, the company took its show on tour in 2022, traveling to all 50 states to showcase its collection of unusual finds.
The Found Treasures Museum opened in 2023 and displays the strange finds of the years, including a suit of armor, a spacecraft camera, Hoggle from the fantasy film Labyrinth, a shrunken head and more.
Hood said the store has become one of the state’s top tourist destinations, attracting visitors from all 50 states and more than 40 countries around the world.
AAA predicts 7.5 million air travelers this holiday season, surpassing the record of 7.3 million passengers set in 2019.
The in-store cafe called Cups Café offers visitors menu options including sandwiches, salads, coffee and sweet treats
However, completely lost luggage is relatively rare. Data from the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection shows that between January and September 2023, airlines stole 0.64 bags per 100 from aircraft.
This number represents passengers’ checked baggage that has been lost, damaged, delayed and reported stolen.
According to the US Department of Transportation, airlines have their own guidelines for when they will officially declare a bag lost, but most are between five and 14 days.
Once an airline determines that your luggage is lost, it is responsible for refunding the passenger up to $3,800.
Only then does it end up at Unclaimed Baggage, where the goods left behind are sorted and resold in store and online.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
