A Wichita couple etches American Mahjong tiles in Kansas

Most American Mahjong sets travel a long way before they reach a rack. One small company in Kansas has decided to make its own at home. Americana Mahj, founded by Jennifer Munson, designs and finishes tiles in Wichita, and according to a November 2 column by Carrie Rengers in the Wichita Eagle, the business has grown from the Munsons' garage to the point where it is moving into a 2,000 square foot building on Delano.

Per the Eagle, Munson's husband, Mike, is leading the renovation of the new workspace. Sales are mostly online, the paper reports, and the Wichita shop Ferguson Phillips has an exclusive arrangement to sell the sets in person.

Landmarks on the tiles

What sets the company apart is the artwork. The Eagle describes a national parks set, a colorful America the Beautiful set, and a limited edition Monument Collection that puts landmarks on the tiles, among them the World War I memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Sets come with tile bags and other accessories, the paper says, and can be customized with a buyer's name. The price is just over $500 a set, according to the report.

The company's own website calls Americana Mahj a heritage brand "inspired by the modern American lifestyle" and lists collections named Cocktail Hour, American Autumn, Star Spangled Summer, America the Beautiful and the Monument Collection, along with racks, mats and carrying cases. At the time of writing, the site showed several sets and most of its racks and mats as sold out.

The site also explains how the tiles are made. The brand says it starts with imported cast acrylic blanks and etches and prints them in house, so that every tile is finished in Wichita.

Why make them at home

Munson gave the Eagle two reasons for starting the company. She wanted more control over quality than she felt overseas factories offered, and she wanted sets that looked like they belonged to everyone at the table. As she put it to the paper, "I try to design for everyone who wants to play the game."

The Eagle frames the business as an American twist on a game that began in China in the 1800s. That history is worth keeping in view. The tiles on an American rack descend from a Chinese game, carried and kept alive by Chinese communities long before a League card was printed in New York, and a set decorated with American landmarks is one more chapter in that long story rather than a new one.

OOTT is not affiliated with Americana Mahj, does not sell sets, and is not recommending any purchase. This story reports what the Wichita Eagle and the company's own site say.

“I try to design for everyone who wants to play the game.”Jennifer Munson, to the Wichita Eagle

Prim's view

This is Prim's opinion. I have always believed that a set says something about the table it sits on, and I am charmed by the idea of a Joker passing across a rack beside the Wright Brothers. It is the kind of conversation piece that makes a newcomer ask a question, and a question is how most of us were first invited to play.

I also admire a business that grew one garage at a time. Every maker in this game began by caring a little too much about how a tile feels in the hand, and it is good to see that care turn into a workshop.

Whatever set you play with, the manners are the same. Rack neatly, call clearly, and thank the table when you rise.