This story originally appeared in the 2026 Locals’ Guidebook featuring the Best of Jackson Hole, on newsstands now. Pick up a copy today!
JACKSON, Wyo. — Many locals have probably heard of the Thrift & Shift, a day-long market featuring local vendors, makers, artists, food purveyors and musicians that takes place on various Saturdays scattered throughout the winter and summer months. What began with around 50 vendors at the inaugural market in August 2024 has ballooned into a coveted event with a waitlist of over 200 interested vendors, co-founder Charlotte Alimanestianu said.
In a town where it seems like everyone is sporting Black Diamond and varying degrees of mountain-wear, Alimanestianu and cofounder Mark MacInnis decided Jackson needed a flea market. Thrift & Shift was born initially as a reaction to Jackson’s lack of having a place to resell outside of a brick-and-mortar store.
“I found that [having a flea market] allows for more individualism,” Alimanestianu said. “You’re not wearing the same thing that everyone else is. You get to try something different and weird, even.”
Alimanestianu attributes a lot of the apparent thrifting boom to increased concerns about the environment. “A lot of [interest] is environmental. People really notice that fast fashion — there’s a lot of push back to it, especially our generation. Things are not as well-made anymore and people are noticing that.”
Beyond positive environmental impacts, flea markets and thrifting allow folks to explore other sides of their personality. Variety lets the wearer tell different stories about their experience of life and their perspective, and makes space to be bizarre and different in a town that can often feel homogenous both culturally and in chosen activities.
“[Thrifting] encourages people to try different things and explore different sides of themselves,” Alimanestianu remarked.
Brick-and-mortar thrift and consignment shops speckle the landscape in Jackson, as well. Seekers can find high-quality used home goods at Home Again; restock anything from kitchen appliances to new shoes at Browse ’N Buy (affectionately known as the Browser by many); those seeking Western apparel for women can peruse the racks at Country Woman, Womenfolk, or Perennial West (which was founded by Trissta Lyman-Morgan, who started her business by selling her curated wardrobe at the Thrift & Shift).
While it may feel new to many Millennials and Gen Z-ers in Jackson, the concept of a flea market is certainly not new to the community. Jackson resident and former antique store owner Molly Murray began thrifting early on. “The minute I was able to start collecting,” she said, “which was probably age 10, I did.”
When she first came to Jackson in 1989, she described what was a fairly large movement in Teton Village to bring vintage, antique, and thrifted goods to market. “The Village would have 40 to 50 booths in the summer,” she recalled. “It was huge. People would come from far and wide [to sell and shop at the market]. That went on for about 15 years, and then it just stopped.”
At that point, Murray said, vendors could no longer afford to stay in Teton Village and weren’t allowed to sleep in their campers on-site due to changed regulations for travel and tourism. “Vendors just couldn’t afford $400 a night for a Motel 6,” she recalled.
Thus, the original Teton Village flea market came to an end, but not Murray’s passion for thrifting. She, Diana Eden, Martha MacEachern and Jenna Martin host pop-ups throughout the year on a smaller scale. When asked about the Thrift & Shift, she lit up: “What [Charlotte] has brought to town is just remarkable and such great energy.”
At times, Jackson can feel like an island. Life and style can feel unvarying, almost rigid. In a town where everyone seems to wear the same T-shirt from Target, a thrifted item can bring color and interest to an otherwise unremarkable moment. The people that find themselves in Jackson are creative. They work hard and build lives that exist outside of widely accepted norms. So why not have some new-old clothes to match?
