Ever lost something important on a plane ride? Knock on wood…I can’t say I ever have, unless you count that vitally important British celebrity tabloid magazine from 2005. Oh, darn! I needed that for my hoarding pile (joke). The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama isn’t a museum, but it’s set up like one, and the best part is you get to take the stuff home. Actually it’s not so good. Supposedly the prices are still quite high, which is surprising, considering it’s all used. But hey, whatever. Instead go to Goodwill or Oxfam, it’s pretty much the same concept.
After months of exhaustive attempts to reunite the 1% of all luggage that doesn’t find its original owners, airlines contact the 50,000-square-foot Center of Unclaimed Baggage Store to purchase, sort, appraise, clean and fix truckloads of items. Some unusual objects found amongst the suitcases (and now part of a “real” museum located in the store, sorry this stuff’s not for sale, though it should be) include the Labyrinth puppet Hoggle, tribal breastplates, boa snake skin, Scottish bagpipes and a leather bound 1930s French newspaper. There is also a Starbucks inside, the second ever store opened in the state of Alabama. Yay! I can drink a frap while buying a used Starbucks mug.
Did you know about one billion passengers check two billion bags every year? I think this one chick I know is guilty of at least 20 million of those suitcases, which are usually full of shoes, hair products…and more shoes.
P.S. If you still can’t find the perfect wedding dress, no need to worry. They got one!
