We've heard of this place years ago and, every time we travel, we intend to stop by but it's never happened. This year, we decided to make it....and we did.
As we got closer, the billboards and signs starting showing up.



Here's how it got started:

In 1970 Doyle Owens headed to Washington D.C. with an idea, a borrowed pick-up truck and a $300 loan to pick up his first load of unclaimed baggage. Selling the contents on card tables in an old rented house, the venture was an instant success. Starting from that first load of unclaimed baggage, the company, run by Doyle, his wife Sue, and their two boys, grew into a thriving business that would eventually become the only lost luggage store in the United States.


Over the next four decades, relationships with airline and other transportation companies across the country were forged. Regional magazines and newspapers began featuring the 'land of lost luggage'. Products from around the world began pouring into Scottsboro, Alabama, from the ordinary to the amazing. Media and curious visitors quickly followed from every corner of the globe to see the one-of-a-kind store.

Today Unclaimed Baggage Center, which was purchased by Doyle's son Bryan in 1995, covers more than a city block. It is one of Alabama’s top tourist attractions hosting over a million visitors a year from every state and over 40 foreign countries.






...and the inside...

There were numerous items on display, both in the entrance and on the walls.




Some of the more interesting finds (most of which are displays around the store....

Trophies Bagged From the Animal Kingdom!
Moose
Antlers
A giant tortoise shell
A South American snake skin
A live rattlesnake (we didn't try to sell that!)
A bear skin packed in salt (it did smell bad!)
A zebra skin, complete with ears and a tail
And the favorite: 50 vacuum-packed frogs!

Outrageous Outfits!

A Versace gown, straight off the runway
A Las Vegas show girl costume
A full Scottish kilt
An aluminized fire suit
Or, if that doesn't suit, try a full suit of armor (19th century replica)

All That Glitters!

A 5.8-carat diamond set in a platinum band, packed in a sockA 40.95-carat natural emerald
A Platinum Rolex valued at over $60,000

National Treasures!

A camera from a space shuttle (we gave it back to NASA)
A missle guidance system for a fighter jet, with a plaque reading "Handle with extreme caution. I am worth my weight in gold." (promptly returned to the Air Force)

Beyond The Grave!

Someone's Ashes
An engraved headstone (a customer purchased it and made it into a coffee table!)
A coffin
A shrunken head
An ancient Egyptian burial mask and mummified hawk dating back about 4000 years!

I hit The Jackpot!

Money has been found in the hem of pants, inside socks, and the shoulder of a jacket
A Limoges vase was sold for $80, but later valued at $18,000
A painting tagged at $60 that proved to be worth $25,000


Here's some FAQs from their website:

HOW BIG IS THE STORE?

Unclaimed Baggage Center covers more than a city block. The main store has over 40,000 square feet of floor space for you to shop. Our Etc. building, located next to the main store, offers three stories of children's merchandise, household goods and beauty supplies as well as special clearance deals in our Last Chance department. Leave plenty of time in your day to see it all!



ARE THE CLOTHES CLEAN? WHAT CONDITION ARE THE ELECTRONICS IN?

All clothing is professionally cleaned. In fact, Unclaimed Baggage Center has the largest known commercial dry cleaning and laundry facility in Alabama. We wash or dry clean over 20,000 items per day, more than most professional dry cleaners handle in a year! Electronic equipment is thoroughly tested and all personal data is erased before it is sold.

HOW CAN THERE BE SO MUCH LOST LUGGAGE?

Only about ½ of 1 percent of checked bags fail to show up at the baggage carousel. Within five days almost 98 percent of the delayed bags have made their way home. During the next three months, through a comprehensive baggage tracing process conducted by the airlines, over half of the remaining bags are reunited with their owners.

A surprisingly small fraction of a percent of passenger bags checked each year are ultimately deemed lost. Yet even that small percentage results in a warehouse full of unclaimed articles, all waiting for you to discover at Unclaimed Baggage Center.

DO THE AIRLINES MAKE A PROFIT FROM LOST BAGS?

No, airlines do not profit from unclaimed baggage. Carriers invest significant manpower and technological resources in the baggage recovery process. Passengers are compensated on any bags not found. Only a fraction of the total tracing and claims settlement costs are recouped by selling the lost bags.

WHY DO AIRLINES SELL THE REMAINING UNCLAIMED BAGS TO UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE CENTER?

Unclaimed Baggage Center provides an important service to the airlines by buying unclaimed bags and their contents and repurposing them in the best way possible.

DOES UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE SELL EVERYTHING IT BUYS IN LOST LUGGAGE?

Not everything sent to Unclaimed Baggage is suitable for sale in our store. A complex sorting process separates out the best merchandise for the retail floor. Items not sold to the public are either repurposed or discarded. Through relationships with multiple charity organizations locally, nationally and around the globe, Unclaimed Baggage is able to reclaim more than half of these leftover items for good. Millions of dollars of clothing, eyeglasses, medical supplies and other useful items are refurbished and donated to those in need each year through our Reclaimed For Good program.

WHAT KIND OF PRODUCTS DO YOU SELL?

If it's packed in a suitcase or left on a plane, it could wind up for sale at Unclaimed Baggage. We sell a wide variety of items commonly taken on business trips and vacations such as clothes, cameras, jewelry, electronics and golf clubs. You never know what people may pack, so you could be one of the lucky shoppers to scoop up an African mask, vacuum-packed frogs, or even a snowboard.

We also sell unclaimed cargo, items lost in shipment and special buys. These often consist of new merchandise, like multiples of clothing, books and household items.



When were there, they had a 75% savings day so I got a cool hat for $3. Other than that, we just cruised around. If we'd known there was that savings (we did not find out until we checked out), we might've looked harder.

Neat place...glad we got to finally stop.