How mahjong is building community in Huntsville
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The best way to learn: Hop in a group event like this Mahjong 101 at Nitro Tales. Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Delashaw and Stephenie Smith
Mahjong's popularity is taking off across the country, and Huntsville's no exception.
Why it matters: As the centuries-old Chinese game finds new fans, instructors are in high demand, with some turning lessons into thriving businesses.
- For local educators and longtime neighbors Sarah Delashaw and Stephenie Smith, a chance game of mahjong turned into a busy side gig — the Huntsville Mahjong Collective.
- They launched officially in August, hosting about one pop-up event (sometimes with dozens of people) and one personal lesson each week.
What they're saying: "It's not your grandma's game anymore," Delashaw told Axios Huntsville.
Zoom in: Social media is attracting more players to mahjong with flashy tiles and how-to videos, they said, but the game ultimately offers analog in-person connection.
- "Nourishing our female friendships [is] so important for us in personal life, and mahjong has given us a reason to get together to talk, to share stories, share a meal, to host in our homes," Smith said, noting that it's also been a way for them to connect to the wider community.
That connection happens at venues like The Blind Tiger or The Vine & Oak, where they host events or with vendors offering custom mahjong tile-decorated cookies or party favors from Mojana Soaps.
- And while Smith says the fancy game pieces and accessories catch people's interest on social media, they're not what keep folks around.
- "We love beautiful things and those aesthetic parts," she said. "We're also nerdy. We love to think and be challenged."
Context: The game's appeal is its mix of luck and strategy, its constant (more or less) engagement and its variety, Smith and Delashaw say.
- With 152 tiles (for American mahjong) and more than 1,000 winning hands, no two games are the same, Delashaw said, and "there's a mental engagement unlike other games."
Catch up quick: The game of tiles where players draw, discard and strategize toward a winning hand has long been a cherished pastime — first among Asian families and later embraced by Jewish communities.
What we're hearing: Mahjong fits into a broader embrace of hands-on hobbies that have been popular with grandparents, like pickleball and needlepoint, says Alyssa Gross, founder of a group that's taught over 2,500 people in Chicago.
- For folks looking to get into mahjong, Delashaw and Smith recommend joining an open event where attendees are supplied with everything they need and can learn how to play the game.