Over time, the items that don’t make it past security at an airport can start to add up. The TSA can seize property at checkpoints, or we end up seeing the signs regarding items we can’t take on board and simply choose to leave it behind. Either way, it all winds up in the same store – the State Surplus Storefront.
This unique east Austin establishment sells tons of items which never found their way onto planes from airports throughout Texas. It’s comprised of a 50K-square-foot warehouse with everything imaginable under its roof. Kristy Fierro, the store’s director, stated that they sell anything that’s legal.
Photo: Flickr/Mark Hunter
Fierro stated that the majority of the property sold at State Surplus Storefront comes from Houston. However, there are thousands of pounds of relinquished or confiscated items. This includes tools, corkscrews, knives, sunglasses, and jewelry, among others. After all of the items are sorted in the back, they wind up for sale to the public in the storefront – much of which sell for less than $5.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Fierro noted that it seems to be the wide array of jewelry which keeps drawing some customers back practically daily. She noted that they’re unable to advertise the store, and many of their customers find out about it by cruising by or through word-of-mouth. Regulars hope it stays one of the Texas Hill Country’s best-kept secrets! The store is located at 6506 Bolm Road in Austin. If the TSA has recently taken something of yours at a Texas airport security checkpoint, after a 30-day hold by the airport, you can check for it at a considerably discounted price at State Surplus Storefront! It’s open from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Will you be doing some shopping at the State Surplus Storefront any time soon? Let us know what you find!
