For any weary traveller, the sight of an empty baggage carousel after a long flight is a sinking feeling. Yet this scenario plays out millions of times a year, with a staggering 33.4 million bags mishandled globally in 2024 alone. While most are recovered within 90 days, around seven per cent are never reunited with their owners. For British travellers to the US, there's a surprising final destination for these permanently lost items: a one-of-a-kind retail store in Alabama.
The Unclaimed Baggage Empire: From Humble Beginnings
The story of America's sole lost luggage retailer began in 1970. Founder Doyle Owens started with a borrowed pickup truck and a $300 loan to purchase his first load of unclaimed suitcases from a bus line in Washington, D.C. Initially open just two days a week, the business, aptly named Unclaimed Baggage, expanded rapidly after securing a contract with Eastern Airlines.
By 1995, Doyle's son Bryan and his wife Sharon took over, transforming the operation. They expanded the Scottsboro store to cover more than a city block. The business later added a café, launched a popular online store, and even embarked on a roadshow touring all 50 states. A major milestone was the 2023 opening of the on-site Museum of Found Treasures, which houses some of the most extraordinary discoveries.
From Birkins to Burial Masks: The Strange Journey of Lost Items
So, what happens to luggage that airlines officially give up on? Once it arrives in Scottsboro, each item is sorted into one of three categories: resell, repurpose, or recycle. An astonishing 7,000 new items arrive at the store every day, where they are cleaned, assessed, and often sold at heavy discounts.
The range of merchandise is vast, including designer clothing, electronics, jewellery, and sporting goods. The store's history includes selling a men's platinum Rolex President watch for $32,000 and finding three coveted Hermès Birkin bags. Yet the most fascinating items are the bizarre ones: employees have uncovered an Egyptian burial mask, a bear pelt packed in salt, live rattlesnakes, and even authentic shrunken human heads.
Perhaps the most fitting resident is Hoggle, the four-foot-tall goblin puppet from Jim Henson's 1986 film Labyrinth. The puppet itself was lost in shipping after filming and eventually found its way to Unclaimed Baggage, where it now resides as a permanent museum exhibit.
What Happens to Lost Luggage in the UK?
For British travellers, the process differs. Major airports like London Heathrow hold lost property for three months and can charge up to £25 for retrieval. Items that remain unclaimed are typically passed to auction houses, which sell the bags and their contents to the highest bidder.
These auctions operate in various ways; some allow inspection of the contents, while others sell based on vague descriptions like 'women's clothing'. Prices can range from £10 to £80. This system stands in contrast to the US model, where a single retailer has built a multi-million dollar business and a tourist attraction from the world's travel misfortunes.
The scale of the issue underscores the importance of travel insurance and clear luggage labelling. Yet for over a million annual visitors to Unclaimed Baggage, this unique store turns the headache of lost luggage into a treasure hunt, giving a second life to items whose journey took a very unexpected detour.
