The Rutgers Camden Student Behind South Jersey’s Viral Markets
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LilacsDreamMarket is determined to make South Jersey fun for young people. Held in Merchantville, New Jersey, LilacsDreamMarkets is a small business market founded and run by Rutgers–Camden student, Tishanna Mayes, A.K.A. Lilac.
In June of 2025 the senior English student held her first craft market in Merchantville. Mayes has held two more markets since then featuring over thirty different vendors. The markets are free to enter and the newer markets have only featured items under thirty dollars, in an effort to make events in the area affordable.
Mayes shared where her inspiration came from to start LilacsDreamMarket, “I started my markets as a way to kind of bring something new, because I’m not gonna lie, in South Jersey, there’s not that many things to do. I’ve been a small business for a while, so I was a vendor before I started doing the market. It kind of just came over me, I was like, you know what? I want an audience that’s my age group.”
Since the first event, the LilacsDreamMarkets have grown exponentially. Mayes says this is thanks to her dedicated social media presence. Mayes Instagram account, @lilacsinmayesco, currently has over 800 followers while her TikTok of the same name has over 2700 followers.
“I have goals to be a social media manager, and I kind of just took my creativity and I used that,” explained Mayes. “And I also wanted to be more upfront and be the face of the market. Like, I feel like a lot of markets that I see, the owners don’t really put their face out there and, like, really try to connect with people. So I wanted to bring something different and, like, make sure it connects to people and people feel seen and heard.”
The past year has featured a growth in social events for young people throughout South Jersey. She Runs South Jersey is a running club started last spring that meets at Cooper River Park on Saturday mornings. Jhilly Social Girls is a social club in the South Jersey and Philly area that started in October of 2025. Mayes shared advice to anyone who wants to start a small business or events like her’s:
“Just take the chance, honestly. Just do it. If you have an idea, just make it happen. As much as you can, I’d say, like, literally, the trinket market came to my mind one day and I was like, you know what? I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna try again, ’cause my first market wasn’t the best because I wasn’t doing the best marketing. So I was like, you know what? I’m going to put this 1st and start doing as much as I can.”
LilacsDreamMarket’s newest market, “The Lucky Finds Market,” will take place next month on March 22, 2026 in Merchantville, NJ from 10 to 3. The link to secure a ticket is on Mayes socials along with forms for vendors looking to sell at the market.
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