Have you ever wondered where your lost luggage ends up?
Then look no further than a shop called Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama, about 150 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Airports are expected to be busier than ever between Christmas and New Year this year, and airlines are therefore sure to lose a suitcase or two.
“With five decades of experience processing large quantities of unique items, we maximize each item’s potential for a second life,” Unclaimed Baggage said on its website.
Unclaimed Baggage said the airline's technology reunites over 99.5 percent of luggage with its owners. However, if a bag still goes unclaimed after a three-month search, less than 0.03 percent of the bags become orphans and end up on the Alabama store's shelves.
Unclaimed Baggage is the only lost baggage store in the country and becomes the destination of all lost bags as it has contracts with all domestic airlines.
Unclaimed Luggage in Scottsboro, Alabama — about 150 miles northwest of Atlanta — is the destination of all lost luggage and the only store of its kind in the country
Once the bags land in the store, they are divided into three categories: resale, reuse or recycling
Items listed on the site include designer clothing, jackets, handbags, accessories, home goods, sporting goods and electronics
Once the bags land in 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 sales value and conditions.
When an item is repurposed, it is donated to communities around the world. If items must be thrown away, 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 is 50,000 square meters and the sales area is replenished with 7,000 new items every day. So it’s really a treasure hunt,” Unclaimed Baggage PR Manager Sonni Hood told .
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 of “The Found Treasure” museum, where the strangest finds of recent years are on display.
Three Birkin bags have been found 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 that retailed for $64,000 and sold for $32,000.
Three Birkin bags have been found 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 nonprofit found Reclaimed for Good to be the “heartbeat” behind Unclaimed Baggage.
“Our goal in taking these bags and deciding whether to sell, donate or recycle them is that we want to finally redeem these items.” “We want to keep them out of the landfill and make the most of it,” Hood said.
Her charitable activities include donating prescription eyeglasses to Lions Club International and donating suitcases to children in foster care.
Sonni Hood, public relations manager for unclaimed baggage, said the clothing department is what attracts the most people
Hood said the most expensive item ever sold at the store was a men's platinum Rolex presidential watch.
The business was founded in 1970 when Doyle Owens purchased his first load of unclaimed luggage from Trailways Bus Line in Washington, D.C. using 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 and added a cafe and found treasure museum, which opened in 2023.
There are many iPhones left behind on flights by their previous owners.
Among the museum's treasures found 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 purchased his first load of unclaimed luggage from Trailways Bus Line in Washington, D.C. using a borrowed pickup truck and a $300 loan
Initially the store was only open two days a week, but after Doyle secured a deal with Eastern Airlines, it became so popular that the store opened full time.
In 1981, the store launched its first ski sale, which has become an annual tradition on the first Saturday in November, bringing 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 the business and expanded the business to more than a city block and added a cafe and found treasure museum, which opened in 2023.
The café, called Cups Café, offers its visitors menu options including sandwiches, salads, coffee and sweet treats.
They opened an online store to celebrate the store's 50th anniversary in 2020, but had to postpone their tour.
In 2022, the company finally took its show on tour, traveling to all 50 states to showcase its collection of unusual finds.
The Found Treasures Museum opened in 2023 and features strange finds from over the years, including a suit of armor, a camera from the space shuttle, 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 forecast 7.5 million air travelers this holiday season, surpassing the record 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 found that between January and September 2023, airlines mishandled 0.64 bags for every 100 bags removed from planes.
This number represents checked baggage lost, damaged, delayed and stolen by passengers.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines have their own guidelines for when they will officially declare a bag lost, but most are between five and fourteen days.
Once an airline determines that your baggage is lost, it is responsible for compensating the passenger up to $3,800.
Only then does it end up at Unclaimed Baggage, where the left-behind goods are sorted and resold in store and online.