THRILL OF THE HUNT The contents of lost luggage find new owners at Unclaimed Baggage Written and photographed by Melissa Mahanes Over 99.5% of bags checked on the major domestic airlines are reunited with their owners right away. If a bag is truly lost, airlines will pay out a claim to the passenger. However, after an extensive three-month search, an unclaimed bag is deemed officially orphaned, a fate realized by less than 0.03% of all checked luggage. That’s where Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama, comes in. It’s a little over 100 miles southeast of Nashville and well worth visiting if you want an exciting shopping adventure. In 1970, entrepreneur Doyle Owens headed to Washington, DC, to purchase his first load of unclaimed baggage from Trailways Bus Line in a borrowed pickup truck with a $300 loan. His truckload of luggage would be the genesis of a family business that has grown into a vast enterprise occupying an entire city block and employing many of Scottsboro’s residents. Gradually, Unclaimed Baggage formed relationships with domestic airlines and grew to become the country’s only lost luggage store. Unclaimed Baggage hosts more than one million store visitors each year from every state and more than 40 countries, making it one of Alabama’s top tourist attractions.
Fifty years later, the store processes thousands of suitcases and lost cargo containers each week (an approximately 70/30 suitcase to cargo split), all of which are sorted, cleaned, cleared, authenticated, priced, and stocked via the center’s complex processing system. A staggering 50,000 loads of laundry are processed each month, and approximately 7,000 unique items make it to the 30,000 square foot store each day, there to be discovered and “reclaimed” by new owners and sold for at least a 50% discount. The atmosphere in Unclaimed Baggage is electric with a mix of southern hospitality. The employees are all amiable and are genuinely thrilled for you when you discover your favorite treasures. They are eager to point out unique items in their extensive jewelry case that house diamonds, gold and silver jewelry, and watches. Right now, they proudly display a 14K marquis cut ruby and diamond ring ($21,757.99), an emerald and diamond bracelet ($14,472.99), and an 18K rose gold and pavé diamond Hermès Kelly Bracelet ($9,465.99). slmag.net
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