Many airlines now rely on technology to help them track bags, but for the unlucky few whose luggage does get misplaced, it ends up at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama.
Losing your luggage is the risk you take when traveling by plane, so what happens to bags that are never reunited with their owners?
“Unclaimed Baggage Center is the only store in America that buys and resales unclaimed baggage from the airline industry,” explained Brenda Cantrell, Media Liaison an Brand Ambassador for Unclaimed Baggage Center.
Every day the store stocks about 7, 000 items. “We sell about a third, which you see here in our retail store, we donate about a third and then we throw away or recycle about a third of the product,” Cantrell said.
The 40,000 square foot store is like a lost and found on steroids. The majority of the merchandise is clothes of course.
“I love the items, they’re gently used, really great styles and brands, like this is Club Monaco, this is quite a modern piece and the prices is $39.99 you can’t beat that,” said Alexandra Handley.
But here you’ll find anything from sports equipment, electronics and very expensive jewelry. “We have a 1.1 carat diamond ring, and a 1.6 carat diamond ring, these are stunners right here. Then you also get things that are one of a kind. I mean this is a one of a kind.” said Cantrell.
Here’s how it works. After three months, if an airline is unable to locate lost baggage, they reimburse the owner of the bag. Then the airline sells the luggage and its contents to the unclaimed baggage center. Turning one person’s loss into another person’s gain.
“It’s like a hidden treasure, a jewel, a friend told me about it and I came and I’m like oh my gosh this is so great,” Handley expressed.
The concept began in 1970 by founder Doyle Owens. “He was an insurance salesman, had a wife and three small boys and he had this friend that worked for a bus line up in the DC area. He discovered that there were these unclaimed bags up there and he seen the thrift store concept and he kind of put the two together. So he borrowed $300 from one grand father and a pick up truck from the other and off he drove to DC to pick up his first load of unclaimed bags,” explained Cantrell.
The bright idea, now one of the top tourist destinations in the state.
“Each year we have between 800,000 and a million guest that come in,” Cantrell said. “I live in Blue Ridge, Georgia. It’s awesome and I’m definitely coming back, I bought my wife a nice leather jacket and it’s pretty cool,” Mark Nichols added.
You never know what you’ll find inside this store of lost treasures. ”There are a lot of strange things that people travel with. A number of those we have kept and put on display here in our store, called found treasures. We’ve had taxidermy items, We have a six foot long paper mache Tinker Bell that came in,” Cantrell said.
They have unexpected merchandise, including an abundance of artwork and racks of wedding dresses. And bargains that can’t be beat, with up to 80% off retail value.
“Couple years ago had a $64,000 platinum Rolex watch and we sold it for $30,000,” Cantrell said.
So whether you’re shopping for yourself our someone else. You’re sure to find something you like at the Unclaimed Baggage Center.
“Come to Unclaimed Baggage, it is worth the travel, it is worth the line, it’s worth everything because it’s the thrill of the hunt you never know what you’re gonna find,” said Shanika McCrary.
And as they say, finders keepers.
Surprisingly what you won’t see a lot of at Unclaimed Baggage is luggage. The store says a lot of the suitcases when they arrive are beat up, so they sell very few.
