Dear Suitcase ... Where Did You Go?

Dear faithful suitcase where are you? I've packed you to the rim with all my nice clothes. An outfit for every day, extra clothes, plenty of underwear, a couple of sweaters, a nice dress to impress, extra shoes to match, nice accessories to go with each outfit, a swimsuit, and of course extra clothes because I can never make up my mind what I want to wear! What if it's cold, I'd better have clothes for that too! I'm known for packing extra clothes for whatever may come up, I even threw in an extra outfit for everyone else (some say I might’ve come over prepared - ha-ha!). This explains why you - my faithful suitcase - were put in the belly of the airplane and not as my sidekick carry-on. But suitcase where are you?

I left my name and number with airport security after waiting near the carousel. I watched all the other suitcases go round and round wondering if you would show… but nothing look like you. I saw a plethora of suitcases: some with pretty flowers some with stripes; leopard and tiger printed suitcases; scary skull prints or whirly eye prints, playful kids suitcases with R2D2 and Cinderella; the standard business formal blue and black suitcases; big and small suitcases, and anything in between suitcases … just not MY suitcase. The man at security booth said he would call me and if you happen to show up, but suitcase where could you be? 

Maybe you went on an adventure of your own. Maybe somebody took you on a taxi ride in New York or a trolley ride in San Francisco. You could be lost in the mountains of Denver or on your way overseas for a wild ride in a tuk tuk (oh how I wish I had invested in a better lock!) - Please hang on suitcase! Someone might spill a margarita on you Vegas, or put you on a dog sled in Alaska ... But really I need you more. I know the life on the road sounds more exciting than my vacation, but the items inside of you (my pretty suitcase) are valuable to me. Please come back.…

I read that 2.5 billion dollars a year are spent tracking and returning luggage or replacing items by the air transport industry! Allegedly most airports store lost luggage for two to three months. Overseas stray luggage then goes to auction. In the United States lost luggage goes to a thrift store paradise called Unclaimed Baggage, which can be found in Scottsboro, Alabama (see this story is going somewhere). Unlike most thrift stores, this one is made entirely of items people actually wanted to take on vacation - including electronics, clothing, designer items, brand new items, jewelry, even wheelchairs, and strollers, and yes their suitcases too. Unclaimed Baggage has been in business for over 50 years and is on its third generation of owners. It is the only store of its kind in America and in a town of 15,000 people it brings in nearly 1 million visitors a year. Unclaimed Baggage has 50,000 square feet of retail space and processes over 7,000 items each day (prior to Covid-19) to be reclaimed by new owners. They turn lost items into treasures by sorting, cleaning, prepping and pricing with a complex pricing center. There is also a website for the unusual and unique items to be sold online as well as in store. Oh, for any skier out there: they keep all the winter ski supplies and apparel until the first Saturday in November and have a “Ski Sale" on this day. Apparently people camp out hoping to be first in line and get the best deals.

The owners of Unclaimed Baggage are proactive about helping others in need. For every item sold, they also donate additional items to someone who is in need. Their object is to help local charities and other organizations with the leftovers items - and boy are there leftover clothes and misc items! Hundreds of thousands of eyeglasses are given to the Lions Club International Services. Wheelchairs and broken wheelchairs are delivered to prisons to be repaired and distributed to disabled children and adults in need by “Wheels for the World." Medical supplies are distributed to Samaritan’s Purse are donated as well. The family who created Unclaimed Baggage is aware there is a need they can help fill with the supplies they come across and they do not want them to go to waste.

As fun as all this sounds, I really don't want MY faithful suitcase to end up at Unclaimed Baggage. Maybe my suitcase is globe trotting around the world on some fancy adventure but hopefully it will find its way back to me soon. So the next time you look at "that suitcase" going round and round on the carousel- go ahead and laugh at the fact that it's been painted with some fancy looking flower or has a pink ribbon attached to its handle with a little bit of duck tape, just remember…  it's ON the carousel!

But where oh where, suitcase could you be?