If lost luggage isn't reunited with its owner after 90 days, it may end up at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, where the contents are sorted and sold in what looks like a thrift store for packed possessions.
Smithsonian's Rachel Nuewer visited:
Stepping through the center's glass doors, a shopper would be justified in feeling overwhelmed by the 40,000-square foot space. Racks upon racks of clothing feature sections dedicated to categories as precise as men's white button-ups, wedding dresses, fur coats, ski gear, wet suits and international items ranging from djellabas to hanboks. In the electronics section, families gather around displays stocked with seemingly brand new iPads, Kindles, SLRs, Bose headphones and laptops. Other areas are dedicated to jewelry, books, eyeglasses, toys, tools and more. Sprinkled throughout are oddities aplenty, including a 10-foot long paddleboard, a fax machine, and a ceiling-high work of art painted with elephant dung. Some items—including a Hoggle doll used in the movie Labyrinth, a set of WWII samurai swords, and a taxidermy ram named Sam—aren't even put up for sale, and are instead displayed as part of the center's permanent collection.
"Our motto is, 'You never know!'" says Brenda Cantrell, who goes by the title brand ambassador. "Our shelves provide both a snapshot of what's going on in America right now and also a chance for shoppers to essentially travel the world."
"The Nation's Stash of Lost Luggage Finds a New Life in This Alabama Town"
