Unclaimed Baggage - Home for homeless luggage
- 5 minutes ago
- 5 min read
A couple years ago I purchased a new jacket while on one of my trips. Going through airport security I, of course, had to take it off.
This was one of those airports where you have to ride a tram to get to your gate. As I stepped off the tram I realized I’d left my jacket back at security.
I didn’t have much time before my flight departed, and I didn’t know if my jacket would still be there, or if they would give it to me even if it was, but I had to try.
I jumped on the next tram back, raced to security, told them I’d left my jacket and, thankfully, it was still there and they gracefully handed it to me. I grabbed it and made it back to my gate just in time for my flight.
But, have you ever wondered what happens to the stuff that doesn’t get claimed? That just gets left behind and never finds its owner?
Well, let me tell ya’.
Unclaimed Baggage
Really, that’s where it goes, Unclaimed Baggage, a 50,000-square-foot store in Scottsboro, Alabama. Imagine your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store, times five, or six, or seven.
That’s exactly what it feels like walking into it. A Goodwill store filled with rack to shelf to display case with everything you can possibly imagine up for sale, at bargain prices.
Oh, and, that 50,000-square-feet doesn’t include a second Bargain Basement building out back with last chance items that have been around for a bit and not yet scooped up by anxious buyers.
Just to clarify, in case you’re picturing some dumpy place, everything is neatly displayed, there’s plenty of room to walk between the aisles and it’s all very clean. This isn’t some junky, second-hand store with items piled high to the ceilings. They’ve “curated” the items to make sure they’re worth selling.
There’s even a coffee shop because, with all there is to see there, you might need to take a break and sit for a bit. Oh, and a museum with some of the more fascinating items that have come across their path.
How It all Started
Unclaimed Baggage all started in 1970 as the brain child of a man named Hugo Doyle Owens. Except, back then, it was the bus lines, not airports, he was dealing with.
Doyle, as he was known by, was listening in on his HAM radio one night and heard that Trailways bus lines had a bunch of unclaimed stuff they didn’t know what to do with.
The proverbial lightbulb went off above Doyle’s head. He borrowed $300 from his father-in-law, hopped in his dad’s Chevy pickup and headed off to Washington D.C. He loaded that truck up with as many suitcases as he could fit, drove them back home and sold everything in one day!
Unclaimed Baggage is still owned by Doyle’s family. Along the way they struck deals with the airlines and now their Scottsboro location has been visited by people from more than 40 countries with more than a million walking through the doors every year.
You can take a deeper dive into their history on their website.
The Museum of Unclaimed Baggage
Even if you aren’t planning on buying anything, it’s still worth the time to stop by to take a look around, and check out the small museum connected to the main building.
That’s where you’ll find some of the more unusual items they’ve found. Don’t ask me why they were never claimed, it seems like someone would notice these things are missing.
– Costume pieces and even Hoggle, the Dwarf, from the movie Labyrinth! Yes, that movie. The one starring David Bowie with all the Jim Henson puppets.
Hoggle was created at Henson’s Creature Shop in London and took a team of four puppeteers to just work his face. Henson said at the time that Hoggle was the most complicated figure anyone had ever tried to use as a main character in a film.
– A cowboy hat with the verified autograph of Muhammad Ali. It’s addressed to someone named Brent on September 2, 1988. Photos show Ali visiting then Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah that day, but no indication of who the hat’s owner might have been.
– A Nitro Circus Helmet, Amphibico Dive Buddy Camera and a Deep Water Diving Helmet. Nitro Circus was founded by an X Games champion and continues to perform motorcycle stunt shows around the country.
The dive camera can take photos more than 300 feet under water, while the dive helmet weighs almost 30 pounds and is the type that connects to oxygen tanks supplied by equipment above the water’s surface.
– Unclaimed Baggage has unpacked not one, not two, not three but four different medieval suits of armor. The suits are assumed to be replicas but contain intricate detailing.
One of the suits has been sold, one is in storage and the other two are on display at the museum.
Online Shop
Unclaimed Baggage’s Scottsboro home is in the northeast part of Alabama, about halfway between Huntsville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
If your travel plans don’t currently include a trip that direction, never fear, you can also browse, and purchase, many of the store's offerings online. Just go to their main homepage and start clicking away on the categories.
Interested in a Valentino black bag with an estimated retail value of more than $1,000? There’s currently one available on the Unclaimed Baggage site for the low, low, cost of $349.99.
How about a Tom Ford silk cardigan sweater estimated at $1,290, on sale now for just $387.99.
Not into the clothing items? There’s Skullcandy earbuds for $34.99, an iPhone 11 for $204.99, or a more modern iPhone 14 Pro for $549.99.
Personally, I’m looking at the pair of green Converse shoes for $33.99 or maybe that Rode video microphone for $149.99. Wait a minute, I might actually buy that microphone. It’s at least $100 less than retail.
Whatever it is you’re searching for, whether online or in person at the store, I’m guessing Unclaimed Baggage might just have it. (This is not a paid advertisement. I just think it’s a fun place.)
Wanna learn more? CBS Mornings did a great segment on the store a couple years ago.
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** I allow use of my photos through Creative Commons License. I'm not looking to make money off this thing. I only ask you provide me with credit for the photo by noting my blog address, alansheaven.com, or a link back to this page.
