Nestled in a strip mall in Sherwood sits a flea market, but as the store’s motto proclaims, “this is not your grandma’s flea market.”
Y’allternative Market, located at 8120 Hwy 107 in Sherwood, is not full of endless booths of dusty antiques, but rather a curated collection of clothes, art, fun tchotchkes and unique knick-knacks. With over 140,000 different items on sale in the market, it is a place one can spend hours and hours looking at everything there is to see.
The owners, Perry and Tyler Young, were inspired to start Y’allternative Market because of their own love of thrift stores and flea markets. They landed on the name because “y’all” feels like an homage to the south, and “alternative” lets shoppers know to expect some items for sale that are a little bit unexpected and different.
Photo courtesy of Y’allternative Market
Perry encourages guests to “keep an open mind when walking through here.”
“Everything here is not for everyone, but we have something for everyone,” he said.
The market opened up in September 2025, and the booths in the three large rooms were quickly filled by excited local vendors and artists.
Photo by Alex Hardgrave
They now have a waiting list of over 80 other vendors hoping to snag a spot if one opens up. However, when choosing the vendors, they are careful to keep a large variety of different shops with different items represented.
The response since opening the doors has been positive and steady, with an estimated 200 to 400 visitors a week coming in to meander through the booths, Tyler said. They still meet many new people who have never been through their doors before, but they also have a strong base of regulars now. The shop has also won many local awards since opening, including multiple in AY’s Best Of 2026.
Tyler said their success lies in the range of items the store has, including vintage clothing, which not all flea markets allow. Since vintage clothing is having such a moment, the booths that are selling these items are doing very well.
Photo by Alex Hardgrave
The couple has also recently reopened a cafe in the same complex, called The Corner Hangout, which serves loaded teas, shakes, lemonades and dirty sodas. It used to be a different drink shop, but when the first owner was going to close it, the Youngs decided to take it over instead.
“It kind of fell into our laps,” Perry said.
One booth owner, Katie Rhodes, said she appreciates how the Youngs run the Y’allternative Market because of all they do to get the word out about their vendors through social media. She also appreciates that they don’t “limit what we put [in our booths].”
Her business, Dane, sells items from primarily women artisans.
Photo by Alex Hardgrave
She said that at the shop, she will meet many customers and booth owners who may have different opinions or views on life, but that they can all be friendly with one another.
“You don’t get that many places these days,” she said.
Y’allternative Market is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Feature photo courtesy of Y’allternative Market
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